Cameroon: Cotonsport breaks jinx

  1. Posted on Sunday 19 October 2008 - 12:15
    Walter
    Image of Walter
    Walter Wilson Nana, AfricaNews reporter in Buea, Cameroon
    Cotonsport of Cameroon made it to the finals of the MTN CAF Champions League competition after humiliating Power Dynamos of Zimbabwe 4-0 on Saturday. The team of President Pierre Kaptene sailed through with 5-0 aggregate. This is their first time since the inception of the competition a decade ago.
    cotonsport
    A fortnight ago in the first leg match played at the Harare Stadium, the visiting Cameroonian team unleashed a 1-0 defeat on their hosts. The Garoua-based team came into the match to confirm their newfound supremacy in the African club scene.

    Cotonsport’s defence man, Sebastien Ndzana Koua surprised the visitors from Harare when he opened scores at the first minute of play. At the 52nd minute, Jacques Zoua, for Cotonsport consolidated his team’s intention for a place in the grande finale by netting the second goal. It was joy for all at the Roumde Adjia stadium. It would not end there; inspirational scorer and Niger-born Daouda Kamilou came in with his own contribution at the 61st minute. He has seven goals in the MTN CAF Champions League 2008.

    Focused on making an impact in this year’s MTN CAF Champions league, Ousmaila Baba, showcased his scoring dexterity by chipping in the fourth goal for his team at the 76th minute.

    The Zimbabwean team that arrived Cameroon just twenty-four hours to the match had nothing to offer. Their dream of getting further into the prestigious MTN CAF Champions League had been dashed.

    The spectacular qualification of Cotonsport has brought a lot of joy into the hearts of Cameroonian football enthusiasts. It is 27 years already that no Cameroonian club has won a continental trophy. The last time a Cameroonian club was at the continental spotlight was in 1980, thanks to Canon Sportif of Yaounde.

    A special bonus of FCFA one million from the Ministry of Sports and Physical Education to each player of Cotonsport might have motivated them.

    In the second semi-finals match played at the Cairo National Stadium, host, Al Ahly, had an emphatic 1-0 win over Enyimba of Aba, Nigeria. Angolan-born Flavio Amado did the trick for the Egyptian club side, Ahly. In the first leg match played in Aba, Nigeria, a fortnight ago, the two teams pulled a zero all tie.

    CAF Press Office announced that the first leg of the finals would be played on Saturday, November 1, with Al Ahly hosting Cotonsport of Garoua at the Cairo National Stadium. The return-leg has been programmed for Roumde Adjia Stadium, Garoua come Saturday, November 15.

    Background - CAF Champions League

    The CAF Champions League came into existence in 1965. The first edition was played on February 7 1965 in Accra, Ghana. Cameroonian club, Oryx Douala went into history by winning the maiden edition of the CAF Champions League. Oryx trashed Stade Malien of Bamako, Mali, 2-1. Taking on the heels of Oryx Douala in the continental scene from Cameroon have been two sensational clubs; Canon Sportif of Yaounde and Union Sportif of Douala.

    Canon of Yaounde has won the CAF Champions League three times; 1971, 1978 and 1980. Union of Douala came into the spotlight in 1979. The performance of Cameroonian clubs since 1965 at the creation of the CAF Champions League is as follows;

    1965 : Oryx of Douala

    1971 : Canon of Yaoundé

    1978 : Canon of Yaoundé

    1979 : Union of Douala

    1980 : Canon of Yaoundé

Latest News

  1. OPINION: Welcome to African Green Revolution24/05For the past century and a half, Africa has tried various agricultural approaches without much success.
  2. Egyptians vote in historic election23/05Egyptians began voting freely on Wednesday for the first time to pick their president in a wide open election that pits Islamists against men who serv…
  3. Africa Day 2012 - a moment for reflection and…22/0525th May is Africa Day. For many years it has been a celebration of African unity. It dates back to 1963 when the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) …
  4. South Africa's African agenda21/05The Deputy President of the Republic of South Africa, Kgalema Mothlanthe paid a rare visit to Ghana in April at the invitation of John Dramani Mahama …
  5. Women struggle to rinse hunger, poverty stains21/05Just looking at her one clearly appreciates that she is old and frail therefore in need of support for food, clothing and shelter to live comfortably …
  6. Climate Climate change affects migratory birds…21/05Changes in the climate globally have affected the movement of both migratory and resident species of birds, Nature Uganda has said.
  7. Ghana: Foreign retailers cited for currency…18/05The Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA) is attributing the sharp depreciation of the Ghana cedi against major currencies to the illegal activiti…
  8. Kenya: Community radio brings succour to…18/05Korogocho, a slum in northeastern Nairobi with 100,000 inhabitants, had many of the ingredients for a political explosion similar to those that rocked…
  9. Veld fires 'flame' Zimbabwe's…16/05Over the years, Zimbabwe has experienced the scourge of veld fires destroying property worth thousands of dollars.
  10. Liberia commends ECOWAS for support14/05The induction training of pioneer Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Volunteers for Liberia kicked off in Monrovia, with the Deputy Mi…
  11. Vanishing Lake Chad puts 30m lives at risk14/05As you approach the Lake Chad basin from Maiduguri, in north-eastern Nigeria, the evidence of despair is telling.
  12. Heavy rains cause havoc in Kenya14/05Heavy Rainfall continued to wreak havoc across the country leading to the suspension of relief food in some parts of the country as most roads in Turk…
  13. Zimbabwe: Growth points lie dormant14/05The Zimbabwean government mooted the concept of growth points in the 1980s as a means of decongesting cities and towns.
  14. Sierra Leone improves in infant mortality11/05Sierra Leone has improved in infant mortality cases according to Save the Children- World Motherhood index 2012 report. The West Africa country descri…
  15. Zimbabwe: Resettled farmers fail to utilize…10/05Resettled farmers in Zimbabwe are failing to utilize land due to inadequate farming inputs and lack of resources.
News archive