FIFA World Cup 2010
Cameroon
 CameroonCameroon Football Federation Best Results
World Cup Quarterfinals, 1990 Africa Cup of Nations Winners, 1984, 1988,2000, 2002 Olympic medal Gold 2000 |
The Cameroon team managed to situate itself on the world soccer map after its excellent performance in the 1990 Italian World Cup. On that occasion, the Cameroon national team advanced to the quarterfinals, when, after a hard-fought match, it was defeated 3-2 by the English team. None of the team’s other performances, either before (the 1982 Spain World Cup) or after (1994, 1998, and 2002) were nearly as good. Cameroon has yet to overcome the group stages and has only won 1 of the 9 matches played in the last World Cup.
The team failed to qualify in 2006, missing a penalty shot against the Egyptian team in last qualifying stage. Thus, the best-ranked FIFA team on the African continent lost the opportunity to represent its country in Korea-Japan. However, the Cameroon team didn’t wallow; it immediately began to work on a new tactical scheme under the command of experienced German coach, Otto Pfister. But Coach Pfister’s strategy did not yield the necessary results and last year, Pfister was replaced by Paul Le Guen.
Qualifying Stage
Cameroon did not perform very well at the start of its qualifying stage, leading to Otto Pfister’s replacement with the Frenchman Paul Le Guen. The new coach made enough tactical changes to ensure the team’s qualification with relative ease.
In the second group stage, the squad lost 1-0 to Togo, and then drew 0-0 against Morocco. The team ensured their qualification in the first leg. Playing in Fes, the Cameroon team managed a 2-0 victory. At the end of the second round, where the team played against Gabon, Togo and Morocco, the team finished the series with four wins, one loss and one tie.
The dynamic Samuel Eto'o scored eight goals in the qualifying stage. Today, he is the best scorer on the Cameroon national team, which is about to begin its participation in South Africa 2010. Perhaps playing on African territory will bring good luck to this team, bringing a re-emergence of its skill from 1990.
Players
Samuel Eto'o scored nine goals in eleven qualifying matches. He is certainly a player for any rival to contend with. Now he is serving as the captain of the squad. Perhaps his experience in some of the most competitive leagues in the world will serve to make him a good leader on the pitch. But he is not alone; the talent of his teammates justifies the squad’s participation in South Africa.
In midfield Jean Makoun, Stephane Mbia and Alexandre Song excel. They can count on the support of Pierre Webó, the Mayorca striker, who may use the World Cup to display his offensive potential.
Head Coach
With the arrival of the Frenchman coach Paul Le Guen in 2009, the Cameroon team began to lift and rearrange its formation on the field. This manager had worked with the Rangers, the Paris St. Germain and Lyon. Upon his arrival he put his eye on Samuel Eto'o.
Now Coach Le Guen aims to raise Cameroon’s football even higher. The Cameroon team urgently needs to prove itself in the World Cup. It is a good team when it plays in the region, but on the world stage, its performances in the last 19 years leave much to be desired.