No editorial checks on this article yet

This article is not approvedThe content of this article is not verified by the editorial team of Africanews.com. Read our editorial requirements to see the criteria we use to decide if we publish an article on the homepage of Africanews.

Cameroon: Legendary Keeper Sacked From Lions Coaching Crew

  1. Posted on Monday 22 February 2010 - 23:29
    Walter
    Image of Walter
    By Walter Wilson Nana
    Thomas Nkono, assistant coach in the den of the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon, in charge of training goal keepers has been fired from his job. Cameroon’s Minister of Sports and Physical Education, Michel Zoah, signed Nkono’s dismissal note February 19 in Yaounde. “Tommy” as Nkono is fondly referred to has been replaced by another Cameroonian big name in goal keeping, Jacques Celestin Songo’o. Like Nkono, Songo’o is a former keeper of the Lions.
    It is known in football circles in Cameroon that at the close of AFCON 2010 in Angola, relations between Nkono and head coach of the Lions, Frenchman, Paul Marie Le Guen turned sour. The Minister of Sports, President of Cameroon Football Federation, FECAFOOT, Iya Muhammed and Le Guen are said to have blamed Nkono during their first evaluation meeting in Luanda after the Lions were booted out in the quarter-finals by Egypt. These officials posit that Nkono failed to make the Lions’ goal keeping at AFCON 2010 competitive and relied only on Idriss Carlos Kameni, the Cameroonian keeper at Espagnyol of Barcelone, Spain. Nkono (who is also the trainer of goal keepers at Espagnyol) is described as the protégé of Kameni, who will not want him replaced at the goal post, even when the keeper is not at his best. Observers hold that the Lions’ dismal performance in Angola 2010 lends credence to this.
    Uncomfortable with the situation and as the Lions warm up for South Africa 2010, Le Guen requested the sacking of Nkono, which the Minister of Sports quickly endorsed.
    Songo’o, the former keeper of FC Metz, France, and Deportivo La Coruna, Spain has resurfaced in the Lions den after a stint as the trainer of Lions’ keepers from February 2005 to February 2006. Then, Portuguese born Arthur Jorge, was at the head of the Lions technical bench.
    Songo’o, was the Indomitable Lions keeper at the 1998 World Cup in France. He is replacing Nkono for the second time on that job.

Latest News

  1. AFCON: 46 hurt in Zambia victory celebrations09/02Over 40 casualty cases were recorded Wednesday night at Zambia's University Teaching Hospital (UTH) after post-match celebrations turned violent …
  2. African Peer Review Mechanism making progress08/02In 2003 the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), the continental development plan, initiated the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM…
  3. Combating HIV infections among African women08/02With a lack of knowledge and power, African women continue to bear the brunt of HIV infections.
  4. Legume cultivation booms in Western Kenya07/02Small Holder Farmers (SHFs) who traditionally relied on seed companies for all their seeds are now bulking their own legume seeds for their farms.
  5. Malawi vendors chase out Chinese07/02Vendors in Kalonga, the Northern district of Malawi, on Wednesday petitioned the District Commissioner to flash out all Chinese nationals who are doin…
  6. Zim: Informal sector urged to join HIV battle05/02While the Harare City council is busy engaging in running battles with city vendors, Health Minister has called for authorities to devise ways to form…
  7. Elections: Wole Soyinka warns Mugabe, Wade03/02The Nigerian Nobel Prize winner for literature said heads of states who are trying to cling to power suffer the same fate as the dictators who were sw…
  8. AU elections rescheduled for June in Malawi01/02Following a deadlock during Monday's African Union elections, with a tie between former wife to South African president Jacob Zuma, Home Affairs …
  9. Senegal in turmoil as protest intensifies01/02Hundreds of anti-government protesters Tuesday gathered in the central Dakar, Senegal to show their dissatisfaction over the incumbent president Abdou…
  10. Zimbabwe’s inflation still favourable -…01/02Zimbabwe's annual headline inflation still compared favourably with economies in the region, Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Governor Gideon Gono said o…
  11. AFCON 2012: Sudan qualifies after four decades31/01The Sudanese national team has sealed a historic win over the Stallions of Burkina Faso.
  12. Senegalese opposition to intensify protests31/01Opposition and civil society groups in Senegal have vowed to increase their fight against incumbent President Abdoulaye Wade's presidential bid.
  13. Malawi: Rights coalition condemn stripping of…30/01The 39 members of the Solidarity for African Women's Rights Coalition based in 18 African countries have vehemently condemned the stripping of wo…
  14. Kenya to deworm five million children annually30/01Kenya launched the second phase of its national deworming programme at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2012, aiming to treat 5 million childre…
  15. Benin’s Yayi Boni is AU’s new…30/01President Yayi Boni of Benin Republic has been elected chairperson of the African Union in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa
News archive