It’s time for reckoning Cameroon after the debacle of the Indomitable Lions at the World Cup in South Africa. Before the tournament, criticism of the team was not permitted in order not to destabilise the Lions ahead of such an import-ant rendezvous.

However with the competition now over for Cameroon, people are beginning to speak up about what transpired in South Africa. First was Paul Le Guen who presented his mea culpa confessing he was unable to bring unity to his squad. Second was the  team press officer for the national team, Linus Pascal Fouda who multiplied interviews in the media admitting there were serious problems in the squad but failed to specify the nature of the problems. This suspicious silence was broken last Friday July 2, 2010 by the most authoritative voice in sports in Cameroon, i.e. the Minister of Sports and Physical education, who was at the national assembly to explain what happened to the people’s representatives. The most remarkable thing about the Minister’s intervention has been the confirmation of rumours which had been circulating in the country about the dismal performance of the Lions. The minister admitted there was a problem of gross indiscipline, sorcery and ‘clanism’ in the national team which turn to corroborate what had filtered to the Cameroonian public before his intervention. Le Guen may have concealed this information form the public under the pretext that it is not good to expose secrets in public but the minister and his communication seem to have broken that secret vow by revealing to the public, the intestinal battles that went on as the team was in competition. Linus Pascal Fouda for instance let us know that the issue of change of captainship which was at one time heralded to have propelled the change that led to Cameroon’s qualification for the World Cup, was indeed a bitter pill that had been digested by the former captain and some players who either pay allegiance to him or do not approve of the methods of the new captain. Alexandre Song had talked about a problem of egos. Now Minister Michel Zoah has come to add new information on indiscipline, sorcery and the existence of clans in the national team. The Minister’s declaration is just a kickstarter as more declarations are still to come especially when the players start talking. Identifying the problem is half way the cure and it is only by revealing the truth about what happened in South Africa that we can better pave the way forward. Besides the public has a right to know what happened and not rely only on rumours. More so, talking is part of the cure according to Sigmund Freud, the author of psycho-analyses.