Fulfilling 30 Years Promise:

Biya Offers Houses to 22 Italia ‘90’ Heroes
President Paul Biya has signed a decree ordering the allocation of 22 modern accommodations to the 22 Indomitable Lions who took part in the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy.
The good news was broken to the rest of the team by Cameroon’s roving ambassador, Albert Roger Milla.
    This comes 30 years after he made the promise, and also comes on the heels of a letter sent to the President on June 15 by the ‘Collectif des anciens lions indomptables’.
    In the letter signed by the Association’s president Bertin Ebwele, the players reminded the president of his engagement 30 years after, an engagement that was still to be respected.
    Paul Biya first responded on June 26, thanking the players for their sacrifices and their love for the country. Then Mr. Biya responded generously 48 hours ago, instructing his collaborators to make available the lodging facilities to the Lions.
    “We are very grateful the president has finally heard our plea. For the past few days, we have been holding meetings to bring everyone up to speed with information concerning our letter addressed to the President of the Republic”, Bertin Ebwele, President of the Collectif des anciens Lions Indomptables told Crtv-Radio.
    Speculations are rife that the President’s move might have been triggered by the death of the team’s captain, Stephen Tataw.
    Tataw who had been sick for long and abandoned by the government died on July 31st, 2020 at the age of 57.
    In an interview granted to Olympia Sports in Yaoundé, one of the 1990 kingpins, Albert Roger Milla, said “the President’s gesture has nothing to do with the unfortunate demise of Tataw Stephen”. Milla further calls on the different generations of the indomitable lion to defend their course.
    Three of the 22 indomitable lions who featured in the 1990 Mundial will not enjoy these modern lodging facilities. Louis Paul Mfede, Benjamin Massing, and Tataw Stephen have all died.
    Meanwhile, Cameroonians have reacted divergently to Mr. Biya’s move. While some have applauded the President for his generosity, others have argued that it came very late.
    According to the Director of the SIC, the allocation of the modern buildings will be executed in the days ahead.