Hold-Up at National Football League:

Elite I Clubs Boycott Championship Opening

Pierre Semengue

The Elite I football championship that was programmed to kick-off Saturday at the Yaounde military stadium, did not start after all. The teams that had to open the championship, Eding Sports Academy of Douala and Yong Sports Academy of Bamenda, did not show up at the stadium.

                Present in the stadium, the match officials did their normal routine as if the match were to play and then write a report which they will forward to the NPFL.

                Also present in the field to watch the start of the championship were officials of the NPFL with its president, General Pierre Semengue.

                Talking to reporters after the failure, a visibly ruffled Semengue said both teams have lost the match by forfeiture.

                After the failure Saturday, all eyes were turned towards the match that was to be played in the same stadium on Sunday. But the match also did not take place. One of the teams that were supposed to play, AS Fortuna, did not show. The other team TonnerreYaounde, were present and only did their pre-match warm up and left the pitch.

                Present in the field of play, the referees and match delegate concerted and did their reports. Sources said Tonnerre had won the match by forfeiture.

                It was the same scenario in Douala, where the match that was programmed for the day also did not take place because the players of both UMS Loum and As Fortuna were absent in the field.

                It should be noted that like was the case in the Military Stadium in Yaounde, the tribunes of the Douala stadium were totally deserted.

                The failure of the Elite I championship to start only betrayed a more serious problem at the NPFL. Disagreements between the NPFL President Pierre Semengue and the clubs Presidents, is said to be at the origin of the hold-up.

                We are told that while the clubs presidents want the NPFL president to convene a general assembly of the league before the start of the championship, the league president is hell bent that the championship must begin without the GA.

                The club presidents argue that they cannot start a new season when the balance-sheet of the last season has not been reviewed and validated by the GA. For his part, the NPFL president, Semengue, holds that the season can start and the GA convened later.

                Until press time yesterday, it was not clear what would happen in the future as neither Fecafoot nor the ministry of sports had made a statement on the situation. But the fact remains that all is not well at the NPFL and urgent measures need be taken if the situation should not get worse.