In the 1990s Paul Biya, President of Cameroon, connected the success of the national football (soccer) team, the Indomitable Lions, to his success as a leader. The title of this post is a re-rendering of a French proverb which Biya is reputed to have cited in support of why his government should continue in power. In response to the call for change of government that gripped Cameroon in the early 1990s, Biya is reputed to have retorted: "on ne change pas une equipe qui gange," which, being translated into English, reads: "a winning team should not be changed." Biya apparently appropriated this proverb to mean that just as the national team had a winning combination, so too did his government have a winning combination for Cameroon and should therefore not be changed. The irony of this claim was that unlike the national team of Cameroon which has contributed significantly to putting Cameroon on the map in a positive sense, Biya's government has no such achievement. In fact, if Biya has made Cameroon to be internationally famous, it has been for all the wrong reasons, such as corruption and dictatorship. That is probably why Biya himself had to ride the popularity if the national team.
However, Cameroon's national team seems to have outlived its days of glory. Under Biya, the corruption of the country has infected the team so much that the team has disintegrated. In the past ten years or so, its performace on the international stage such as the African Nations Cup and the World Cup have been dismal, to put it kindly. Cameroon's national football team now holds the dubious distinction of being the first team to fail to qualify for the second round of the World Cup that was held in South Africa in 2010. Considering the fact that many still respected the soccer team because of its past glory, this crash out of the World Cup during the first round was ghastly. The World Cup incidence was just one in a long line of failure to perform well, especially when it matters most. Currently, it is even doubtful whether the Indomitable Lions would qualify for the African Nations Cup which takes place in 2012. Just like Biya's government, Cameroon's national football team is currently in disarray. This is not to suggest that Biya's government has ever been good at anything other than the assurance of its own survival. In fact, contrary to the proverb which Biya used, his government has never been a winning team; rather, it has been disastrous for Cameroon.
With the national team and Biya's decaying regime now in tatters, one cannot fail to ask the question: "should we not change a team that no longer wins?" This is the translation of the title of this post. If a team that wins should not be changed, does it not follow that a team that does not win should be changed? Now that it is clear to all that both the Biya regime and the national team are now in shambles, is it not time to make new and viable teams for Cameroon? In order for the Indomitable Lions to win again, the team must be changed. In order for Cameroon to be put on the right track, Biya's government must go. The answer to the question: "should we not change a team that no longer wins?" should be: "of course, we should."
However, Cameroon's national team seems to have outlived its days of glory. Under Biya, the corruption of the country has infected the team so much that the team has disintegrated. In the past ten years or so, its performace on the international stage such as the African Nations Cup and the World Cup have been dismal, to put it kindly. Cameroon's national football team now holds the dubious distinction of being the first team to fail to qualify for the second round of the World Cup that was held in South Africa in 2010. Considering the fact that many still respected the soccer team because of its past glory, this crash out of the World Cup during the first round was ghastly. The World Cup incidence was just one in a long line of failure to perform well, especially when it matters most. Currently, it is even doubtful whether the Indomitable Lions would qualify for the African Nations Cup which takes place in 2012. Just like Biya's government, Cameroon's national football team is currently in disarray. This is not to suggest that Biya's government has ever been good at anything other than the assurance of its own survival. In fact, contrary to the proverb which Biya used, his government has never been a winning team; rather, it has been disastrous for Cameroon.
With the national team and Biya's decaying regime now in tatters, one cannot fail to ask the question: "should we not change a team that no longer wins?" This is the translation of the title of this post. If a team that wins should not be changed, does it not follow that a team that does not win should be changed? Now that it is clear to all that both the Biya regime and the national team are now in shambles, is it not time to make new and viable teams for Cameroon? In order for the Indomitable Lions to win again, the team must be changed. In order for Cameroon to be put on the right track, Biya's government must go. The answer to the question: "should we not change a team that no longer wins?" should be: "of course, we should."
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