There is something to be said about being candid. And this is particularly relevant in the context of our country, where honesty, loyalty and courtesy are virtues unknown. Coach Nyongha is certainly a decent man. He deserves our respect for that. But the way he bared his soul to a Camfoot reporter, pausing as a helpless victim in a vicious environment, was at times nauseating.
Coach Nyongha’s only valid claim to fame is his longevity around the Lions. And being a constant fixture within the Lions organization for so long, the man should know better. Our sympathy toward him can only go so far. We can appreciate the plight he faces, we can relate to the lack of respect from his employer and the scarcity of means he is given to coach, but we find his explanations for some of his choices down right objectionable.
The relationship between Coach Nyongha and his employer is a private matter that, even though coaching our national team is very much a public affair, should remain so. This of course ceases to apply when one party to this relationship airs his displeasure in the media and thus invites us into the debate. It appears, and we do believe it, that our coach has yet to be fully compensated for the work he has been commissioned to deliver; it appears that he has not been given the resources he expects to coach; it is a fact that he was not invited to apply for the position he has held on numerous occasions; it is a fact that he does not have overall control over the team.
Well, if really things are this ridiculously screwed up, what else is there to do for a principled coach but resign? It is a basic understanding in labour relationships that when things sour in the work place, the employee resigns or gets fired. So excuse me for not playing the bleeding-heart bit for Coach Nyongha : he should stop the whining and quit. That is the sensible thing we wish he did.
Perhaps Coach Nyongha has what it takes to coach the Lions. But we know, and I bet he does too, that he will never be given the resources nor the chance to coach this team on a significant basis. Why then, you may ask, would this rather benign individual stomach the abuse, disrespect and scorn directed at him from his employer and the public? Is there something we do not know that spurs him on?
This is where suspicion creeps in: how does our coach get by with so little resources coming from his employer? It is a shame, but this suspicion has started gnawing at a good man’s reputation, especially when he gets down to justifying his decision to call Messrs. Ateba,Tchato, Angwa otherwise than by bluntly telling the reporter that it is his prerogative. Period. His justification is an insult then, because he should know that we know that these individuals are not particularly good for the moment, and worse yet, they do not represent any worthwhile investment for the future.
If this were not Cameroon, we would be calling on the coach’s boss either to fire him and hire somebody else or mend ways with him and let him carry on. But we do not know for sure who is in charge here. The Fécafoot, logically, would seem like a good bet. But, Mr. Iya does not have leave to hire a coach; so, how can he be the coach’s boss? The Ministry of Sports does not want to appear as a busy-body meddling in affairs beyond its direct purview. But Mr. Edjoa has the money and, well, you couldn’t reasonably expect a public official with a conscience to just spend public money without asking a few questions, could you?
The fraying of our very fine Lions team, you see, can be attributed entirely to the perpetual argy bargy going on between the coach, the Fécafoot and the Sports Ministry. This has evolved into a vicious turf war that even the intervention of Etoudi or the Prime Minister’s Office are not likely to help subside. Clearly, there is a question of ownership of the Lions. A triumvirate with fuzzy roles and unbalanced influences cannot effectively help our team grow and prosper. The Lions need one single boss and owner.
Until that eventually happens, the court of public opinion will remain suspicious of every move and action by any member of the current triumvirate. Judging by the volatile mood of the public, the next setback of the Lions will signal the upgrading of the charge against these people from suspect to jointly and severally responsible for the death of a national symbol.
