Cameroon Echoes {Echos Camerounais}

Eto’o threatens World Cup walkout over comments

 PARIS (AP)—Cameroon striker Samuel Eto’o is so angry at criticism by former great Roger Milla that he is threatening to walk out on his teammates before the World Cup.

Milla, who thrilled fans with some dazzling goals and quirky celebrations in helping Cameroon reach the 1990 World Cup quarterfinals, claimed Eto’o “still hasn’t brought anything to our national team” when meeting reporters Friday.

Essien ruled out of World Cup

 Ghana and Chelsea midfielder, Michael Essien, has been ruled out of the 2010 Fifa World Cup. An evaluation by a combined team of medical experts from the Ghana Football Association and Chelsea Football Club revealed that Essien will not make full recovery until the end of July.

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What Happened to Freddy Adu?

 American soccer's million-dollar baby saw his World Cup dream extinguished on Tuesday, a full month before the sport's greatest showpiece has even begun.

Based on how Freddy Adu's career has faltered in recent years, it was no shock that he was left off the United States' preliminary World Cup roster, ensuring him a summer spent in front of a television screen instead of packed stadiums in South Africa.

Yet given the outlandish projections made for Adu in 2003 – when, as a 13-year-old, he was handed a million-dollar endorsement deal with Nike and touted as the future of the national team – the decline has been both sad and dramatic.

CAF set to lift Togo ban

Hmm, so Issa Hayatou has some humanity left in him after all or has money exchanged hands African style. Who knows, all in all it was very distasteful to ban Togo in view of what happened and reversing the ban will be much welcomed. Read the article for details.

The Confederation of African Football (Caf) president Issa Hayatou has agreed to ask his executive committee to lift the sanctions imposed on Togo. Caf banned Togo from the next two Africa Cup of Nations sighting government interference after their withdrawal from the Cup of Nations in Angola.

The latest news follows mediation where the Togo Football Federation agreed it had not complied with Caf regulations. 
The Caf executive are due to meet on 15 May for a final decision on the issue. 

Togo withdrew from the Nations Cup in Angola following an attack on their team bus that left two people dead in January. 
The mediation was led by the Fifa president, Sepp Blatter, after both parties had agreed to interrupt a case due to be heard by the Court of Arbitration of Sport. 

"I am very pleased that we have been able to find a solution which is satisfactory for both parties," Blatter said.
"The success today is for the entire football community, in particular for African football. 

Shakira a-t-elle plagié Zangalewa ?

La chanteuse latino vient de sortir une chanson comportant un extrait de la célèbre chanson du groupe camerounais.

Certains ont d’abord cru à une imitation locale de la voix de la diva. Pour d’autres, Shakira reprenant le refrain de «Zangalewa» pour le Mondial 2010, ça sonnait plutôt poisson d’avril. La nouvelle a défrayé la chronique, ces derniers jours. De quoi persuader même les sceptiques. La chanteuse d’origine colombienne aurait bel et bien repris le titre «Zangalewa» de 1985 des Golden Sounds, devenus eux-mêmes Zangalewa, quelques années plus tard, après le succès de la chanson. »

La chanteuse a revu le tube, qu’elle a adapté à la pop et rebaptisé «Saminamina». Elle y compare la coupe du monde de football à une bataille. Selon divers sites Web, ce chant pourrait postuler comme hymne du Mondial sud-africain. Toutefois, rendu sur le site officiel de la Fifa, CT n’a pu obtenir confirmation de la nouvelle.

Ngando Pickett : « Puma doit me payer. J’ai trop galéré »

Camfoot : Depuis le 28 avril vous êtes une vedette dans l’hexagone puisque votre image côtoie celles des vedettes et superstars dans les métros à Paris. Comment en avez-vous été informé ?

Ngando Pickett : Ce sont les Camerounais de Paris qui m’ont informé. Je suis tranquillement chez moi, les camerounais de Paris m’appellent premièrement pour me demander ce qui ne va pas dans Caïman de Douala avec Petit Pays qui change les entraineurs. J’ai répondu. C’est après qu’ils me disent que mes photos sont dans tous les métros à Paris. Depuis le 28 avril je reçois des dizaines d’appel de la France chaque jour.

Camfoot : Vous avez sûrement un contrat très lucratif avec la firme Puma non ?

Ngando Pickett : Puma ne m’a jamais contacté ; à grand jamais.

Camfoot : Puma qui est l’équipementier des Lions indomptables s’est peut être arrangé avec la Fecafoot. Est-ce que vous vous êtes rapprochés de la Fecafoot ?

Ngando Pickett : J’étais effectivement à la Fecafoot pour me renseigner sur le sujet, et on m’a dit que Puma ne les a jamais contactés à mon sujet. Cette réaction de la Fecafoot m’a rempli de joie, parce que les responsables de Puma savent ce qu’ils doivent faire. Ils doivent me payer.

Ngando en action

Shakira Remixes Zangalewa's "Waka Waka" for World Cup: Hit or Miss?

I heard there was a an unofficial World Cup song floating around called "Waka Waka" by Shakira but never bothered checking. There have been quite a few so I was just waiting for FIFA to pick the official one. However, a South African friend of mine forwarded me an article in which the South Africans weren't too happy about Shakira's unofficial World Cup song and come to fined out, it was a remix to Zangalewa's "Waka Waka" hit. So you know the Cameroonian in me had to listen!!

At first listen, many things came to mind 1) I hope Zangalewa gets their compensation for this. 2) Does she know what she is singing about? 3) I'm happy she is repping the home of the lions but why not rep SA, maybe a remix of one of Brenda Fassie's electric hits ( to show love for SA) 4) I grew up on Zangalewa but I have mixed feelings about the remix (I am trying to be into it but not really feeling it) even though I like Shakira no one does it better than Zangalewa. 5) Why is the opening ceremony musical line up looking like A Live Aid concert. Even Bono has jumped on the World Cup theme song band wagon. 6) Alicia Keys, John Legend, Black Eye Peas (ok I like the Black eyed peas but I hope the other two leave their pianos behind, African drums should be in order lol) 7) Where are the young African Hit makers in the line up? 

8) We all know after the publicity of the opening ceremony some of these musicians would be no where in sight.

9) Is there a World Cup in which Shakira does not make a world cup song?

10) I hope K'NAAN get his shine because Waving flag is very nice song.

11) "Everywhere U Go" really displays a collaborative effort involving African artist that others can emulate.

Ok let me stop but here it is for those who haven't heard it. What do you think? Hit or Miss?

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World Cup 2010: Sepp Blatter Wants Nelson Mandela To Open The Tournament

FIFA president Sepp Blatter is hoping that former South African president Nelson Mandela will be healthy enough to open the World Cup in South Africa.

“We cross fingers that Nelson Mandela … can realise this dream. And his dream would be to be at the opening of the World Cup. For the time being, he is doing well and we hope that he can do it,” Blatter said at a press conference. “It will be his World Cup.”

The former Nobel Prize winner, now 91, made his last public appearance on February 11 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of his release from prison.

Threatening the beautiful game

 

How easy it is to forget that athletes at their peak are, by the very nature of their tasks, young but expected to be wise in their event,world-travelled but isolated and vulnerable.

This week, Emmanuel Adebayor, the goal scorer for Manchester City, gave up the captaincy and, he said, the calling to ever play again for his country, Togo. He is 26 and a millionaire, and he said he just cannot get out of his head the day in January when Angolan separatists fired on the Togo team bus, killing three people in it.

"We were just footballers going to play a football match and represent our country," Adebayor said in a statement. "Yet we were attacked by people who wanted to kill us all. It is a moment I will never forget, and one I never want to experience again." Whether he knew it or not, Adebayor's abandonment of his national team coincided with an explicit threat by a group allied to al-Qaida that it plans to attack players and spectators at the U.S.-England match during the World Cup in South Africa on June 12.