The Lionesses will face host country, Britain, New Zealand and Brazil in the group stage.
Cameroon has inherited a very difficult group in football in the upcoming Olympic Games in London from July 27 to August 12, 2012. In the football draws conducted yesterday at the Wembley stadium in London, Cameroon was pooled in group ‘E’ alongside the host country, Great Britain, New Zealand and football powerhouse, Brazil. Cameroon was represented at the draws by the coach of the Indomitable Lionesses, Enow Ngachu, whose team has not been preparing ever since they got their ticket for the London Olympics during the last African Games in Maputo during which the Lionesses emerged as the best team.
It will therefore constitute a near miracle for Cameroon to sail through the group stage of the competition given the nature of her opponents, coupled with the fact that the Lionesses are not yet in camp less than three months to the kick off of the greatest sports event on planet earth. There is no doubt that Britain will be powered by the home crowd effect while Brazil and New Zealand are above the class of the Lionesses who are in their maiden participation at the world event.
After overcoming the Nigerian hurdle on the continent by a hair’s breadth, the Lionesses will now have to measure up to the best in the world. But with little or no preparation, nothing much should be expected from the team. Unconfirmed information says the Lionesses have been training in hiding around the Mont Febe area in Yaounde while waiting for the official camp to begin. The Lionesses are out to imitate the exploit of their male counterparts who in the year 2000, won the gold medal in the male category.
Football was introduced as a medal sport at the 1908 Olympic Games and the sport has featured at every Olympic Games since then, with the exception of Los Angeles 1932.
The Football competition at London 2012 will be staged at six grounds around the UK, including venues in Wales (Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium) and Scotland (Hampden Park in Glasgow). The finals will take place at Wembley Stadium in London. In the men's tournament the top two teams from each of the four groups goes through to the quarter-finals. In the women's version the top two teams from each of the three groups, plus the two best ranked 3rd place teams, proceed to the last eight.
