By Satish Sekar © Satish Sekar (June 22^nd 2021)

The Ups and Downs of Cotonsport

Cameroonian football club Cotonsport de Garoula was founded in 1986. The disgraced former President of the Fédération Camerounaise de Football (FECAFOOT) Iya Mohamed played a part in the club’s fortunes in its early days, securing sponsorship for the club from Sodecoton, the cotton giant, which he ran, but embezzled from.

Cotonsport dominated Cameroonian football from 1997, winning 15 league titles – the most by any club. Its last was in 2018. Nevertheless, it has failed to emulate the success of Oryx Douala, Union Doula, Tonnerre or Canon Yaoundé, but lost in the final of the CAF Cup in 2003, the last edition of that tournament, which merged with the Cup Winners Cup to form the Confederation Cup in 2004.

They also lost in the final of the CAF Champions League in 2008 to Egyptian giants Al Ahly. Kamilou Daouda scored eight goals for Cotonsport in that edition of the competition but was five behind his Nigerian compatriot Stephen Worgu,[1] then playing for Enyimba who were eliminated in the semi-finals.

Cotonsport are a shadow of their former selves after Mohamed’s disgrace, but Cameroonian football? Few talk of the former boss of Sodecoton and FECAFOOT now.

Disgraced

Iya Mohamed took over after previous president of FECAFOOT, Vincent Onana, was disgraced and jailed over a tickets scandal at the 1998 World Cup Finals. That created a vacancy which had to be filled by an election that had to be organised. Mohamed, the Vice-President, was appointed temporarily until elections could be held. FIFA established a Provisional Executive Unit to oversee elections which were held in 2000. Mohamed won. He would win three more elections.

Interestingly, Onana was released from jail quickly enough to become a Deputy and therefore enjoy Parliamentary immunity. He was confident enough to stand for election as President of FECAFOOT in 2004 but lost to Mohamed.

Cameroon’s football plumbed a low depth in 1998 but sank to its lowest in 2013-2015 as former FECAFOOT Presidents, Onana and Iya were imprisoned. Mohamed, also a Director of Sodecoton, was jailed for 15 years in September 2015. Two years earlier he had been fined $4000 and was ordered to repay Sodecoton $18m. He was also banned from holding any office in Cameroon for seven years. In February 2017 Mohamed’s 15 year sentence and huge fine was upheld by Cameroon’s Supreme Court. His ban from public office has expired but he cannot exercise those rights from prison.

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[1] Only the late Godfrey Chitalu, Zambia and Africa’s Goal King, and the man dubbed ‘The Black Pearl of Mali’ by Valencia fans, Salif Keïta matched or bettered Worgu’s tally for edition of African champions’ clubs football. Keïta reached the final of the African Cup of Champions Clubs twice with two different clubs, Stade Malien and Real Bamako. Keïta  set a still standing record for one edition of the tournament, playing less matches than now. He scored 14 for Real Bamako in 1966. Only Chitalu and Worgu have seriously threatened Keïta’s record with 13 apiece.

In 1972, probably the best year any footballer has ever had, Chitalu scored 13for Kabwe Warriors in the African Cup of Champions Clubs, then the only tournament organised by the Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF) for clubs. Chitalu’s tally is remarkable as it includes two unheralded tournament records – the most number of goals in a tie, nine, and the most in a single match, seven. Both records were set against the same opponent in the first or preliminary round against Lesotho’s then champions Majantja.