The Indomitable Lions of Cameroon are expected to leave the country today for Tripoli, Libya, where they will play their second encounter of the 2006 World Cup/African Cup of Nations qualification series. The match against the Libyan national team will take place next Friday. According to Robert Ndzana, Director of Sports at the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the Lions will leave at 1:00pm on board a Camair commercial flight. The official delegation, comprising some 30 persons, is expected to be headed by the Minister of Youth of Sports, Etame Massoma.
Since last Friday, the Indomitable Lions have been in camp in Yaounde. Captain Song Bahanag and his mates have been on two training sessions each day. Yesterday morning, the players had their last training session in Yaounde. But for two newcomers (Olivier Tchatoua of Canon Yaounde and Marc Gouiffé who plays in Wolfsbourg Germany), the squad that has been bracing up for next Friday’s encounter is mostly made up of players who camped for the Cameroon/Benin match. Of the 25 players who were in camp, 18 will travel to Libya. Asked which players will be selected to make up the list of 18, head coach, Winfried Schäfer, in an exclusive interview with Cameroon Tribune yesterday, proceeded through elimination. Djemba Djemba, for example, cannot be part of the squad because he has not yet recovered from a muscle injury he sustained on his right lap during the gala match on June 07, 23004, to celebrate Eto’o Fils’ continental trophies. Idrissou Mohamadou will also be out. His administrative problem with the world football governing body, FIFA, has not yet been sorted out. Schäfer also said that he could not take three goalkeepers along. That is why he would drop Ebede of Kaledonia, Greece. The two newcomers will not also be given the opportunity to exhibit their talents, as well as Mokake of Sedan and Gathuessi of Montpellier.
The arrival of the Lions in Tripoli today will certainly give the team enough time to prepare for Friday’s crucial encounter. Although Libya was beaten by Côte d’Ivoire, 2-0, during its first outing in Abidjan, the team was no easy ride for the elephants. The Ivorians had to mount serious pressure on the Libyan defence before obtaining their goals. Their second goal came from a penalty shot. The Libyans raised stiff objection. Winfred Schaffer and his boys, on the other hand, had a not-so-easy start. Cameroon’s bid for a fifth successive World Cup appearance began with a difficult 2-1 victory over Benin in Yaounde on June 06, 2004. The visiting team opened scores at the tenth minute putting the Lions under pressure for the greater part of the first half. According to Geremi Njitap, the encounter brought out the weaknesses in the squad. It taught the Lions to face all their adversaries with the same ferocity as the idea of « small » and « big » teams is misleading. The Lions will therefore be facing the Libyan national team next Friday with all their might and force.
Irene MORIKANG
