I was delighted to start my new role as Cameroon Team Manager
with a very important win against Guinea-Bissau in the 2013 African Cup of
Nations qualifiers. Our hosts certainly did all they could to make life hard
for us but a great team effort combined with a moment of individual brilliance
from Eric Choupo-Moting was enough to see us to a 1-0 victory. We can now go
into the second leg in June feeling confident and making the most of the home
advantage, as we try to secure our place in the next round.
The past couple of years have seen some turbulent times for
the Indomitable Lions. Even though it
was such a symbolic occasion being the first on African soil, we underperformed
massively in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and failed to win a single
point. This was then followed by our failure to qualify for the 2012 Cup of
Nations, which, along with the absence of Nigeria and Egypt, became quite a
talking point. On top of that we also had some off-the-field administrative
issues to deal with, and its fair to say that all of this took its toll on our
national team.
As a result, I felt that it was very important to try and
restore some pride and morale amongst our players as we try and start to
rebuild our fortunes and reclaim our former position as one of the most
competitive teams in African football.
In order to help achieve this one of the first things I have
introduced, is what I call a “moral contract,” which each and every player
called up to the national team will sign. The idea of the contract is to
breathe a new spirit back into the Indomitable Lions’ den. It’s almost like an
oath in many ways and is there to remind players the value of defending the
national flag and their responsibility in wearing the national colours.
As captain of Cameroon for a decade, and now as Team Manager,
I feel very strongly that this contract will help every player re-connect with
what it really means to represent his country, even if signing it is really
only a symbolic gesture.
Here are the 11 points that the contract outlines:
• The National Team
is sacred; serving it is my sole goal
• The
Green-Red-Yellow is sacred; I will honour it and defend it in every stadium
where I wear it
• Playing for my
country is an honour; I will represent it with loyalty, faithfulness and
courage
• Each summon, each
match is happiness shared with my people, my spectators and my teammates
• I will be stronger
with my teammates; friendship and solidarity will be my companion
• I will respect
former players from who I inherited this jersey; they handed it to me
illustriously and I will hand it on gloriously
• I will communicate
with my coaches, my teammates and my managers; dialogue will be my strength
• Anytime and
anywhere, whether regular or substitute, I will serve with enthusiasm and
professionalism
• I will give my
best on the pitch; I will be proud and keep my head high
• From North to
South, from East to West, I will be an example to Cameroonian and African youths
• I am indomitable,
I will remain indomitable
I was delighted to see the players as well as the technical
staff welcome this innovative step with such enthusiasm when they all signed it
for the first time ahead of the game against Guinea-Bissau and I would like to
think it contributed in some way towards our successful result.
Achieving greatness is about ability, no question. But it is
also about pride, attitude, teamwork and professionalism, and if we can combine
all of these qualities we will start to achieve our full potential once again.
Now we have started this new era so positively I hope we can continue to stay
true to these 11 points and keep building towards a bright future for the
Indomitable Lions.
Please remember to drink responsibly, 18+/21+.
Rigobert Song is a Guinness® Football Challenge™
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