Victoria United alias Opopo and Fovu Club of Baham were beaten on and off the pitch by their CAF Champions League and Confederations Cup preliminary rounds to be shown the exit door even before the real competitions kickoff. In the Women’s category, Lekie Filles Football Club of Cameroon met a bad fate and was eliminated from the UNIFFAC Qualifiers of the 2024 CAF Women’s Champions League.
In the first legs, the two Cameroonian ambassadors in the men’s football tournament, Victoria United and Fovu of Baham were stripped of their full squad on the basis of incomplete Licenses.
Voctoria United were forced to play with just 13 players against Samartex of Ghana at home at the Japoma stadium in Douala , where they eventually succumbed to a 1-0 defeat in the hands of the visiting Ghanaian side.
Fovu of Baham on their part were frustrated in Monrovia in Liberia against local side Paynesvilles. The Cup of Cameroon winners had just 8 players on their list who answered present and as disappointing as it was, the Cameroonian club fell to a 4-0 defeat in their away leg game
The returned leg at the Amadou Ahidjo Stadium in Yaounde this weekend was as many football pundits had predicted that the club from Baham will not be able to reverse her already unfortunate situation for the betterpart of the team.
The Baham boys were spanked 1-0 at home same scenes they received in their way game far off in Monrovia.
Over at the Accra sports Stadium in Ghana , Victoria United who this time around had 5 extra players still could not get the job done . The Oppo boys were again outplayed by Samartex by 1-0 making it a replay of what the Limbe-based club, champions of the Division One Championship in Cameroon lived in their home game back in Douala.
Cameroon’s lone female club involved in Continental club competition , Lekie football Filles of Yaounde also had a disappointing outing in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Coach Stephane Ndzana and his girls finished the UNIFFAC CAF Women’s Champions league qualifiers behind local side TP Mazembe who held them to a 1-1 draw their last group match.
Though the Congolese side TP Mazembe secured the only ticket of the zonal qualifiers , Lekie Filles left the competition with heads high as they were not beaten all their three group matches. The reigning Cup of Cameroon winners played two draw games and defeated Feminino Athletico of Equatorial Guinea Guinea 5-0 in their first group clash
The elimination of Lekie , Victoria united and Fovu of Baham in their preliminary round fixtures makes it the third consecutive season that no Cameroonian club has been able to qualify for the group stages of Continental club competitions.
Benly Anchunda
