According to Dr. Claude Kana, who proposes this interesting challenge, fans of the Indomitable Lions are somehow being urged to take a stand. Cameroonian football is going through a tumultuous time.
The atmosphere is tense, with conflicts and arguments multiplying. Like in a Hollywood script, there’s a new episode every morning. Sometimes, the average fan of the Lions doesn’t even know what the fuss is about, but they’re expected to take a side, to choose their camp, because apparently, neutrality isn’t an option, as Dr. Claude Kana recently pointed out.
For the football historian, it all started with Yannick Noah. “And then there was Joseph Antoine Bell, Geremi Njitap, André Kana Biyik, Omam Biyik… The latest conflict to resolve revolves around the impact Samuel Eto’o and François Omam Biyik had on the Cameroonian national team. Personally, I’ve never been inclined to engage in a debate that can’t be settled. It’s true that OPTA introduced stats into football and made them an objective criterion for judgment.”
“I’ve seen Roger Milla play, and I’ll say that even if Aboubakar scores 200 goals with the Lions, Milla will always be stronger for me. But football will never be reduced to a simple math exercise. It’s subjective, and that’s what makes it charming. How do you quantify a dribble from Bonaventure Djonkep, Jean-Louis Mama, or Jean-Baptiste Ndoga? How do you quantify a header from Omam Biyik or Manga Onguéné? If we reduce everything to goals, where do we place a clean catch from Thomas Nkono or an aerial save from Joseph Antoine Bell? I don’t want to choose between Patrick “Magic” MBOMA’s bicycle kick at the Stade de France and Roger Milla’s against Saudi Arabia in 1985,” he explains.
“The goal by Omam Biyik against Argentina and Samuel Eto’o’s in the 2000 Olympic final weren’t particularly beautiful, but they’re the ones that gave us the most sensations. How do you rank them? It’s impossible because football is an art, inherently subjective. I’ve seen Roger Milla play, and I’ll say that even if Aboubakar scores 200 goals with the Lions, Milla will always be stronger for me. My son might choose Magri, who knows? Everyone should retain the freedom to prefer whoever they want, without being forced to choose a side, which in reality hides unclear agendas for the average supporters. Between the marksmen of the Indomitable Lions, each contributing to writing a common history in their own way, stop demanding us to choose. Stop taking us hostage!” concludes Dr. Claude Kana.
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