Interviewed by Nicole Selmer of fanguide2006
Nicole Selmer talks to Simon Mol ahead of the World soccer bonanza in German, here are excepts:
N.S: You have the opportunity to compare Europe and Africa, Poland and Cameroon, in many ways – even with regard to football. What, if any, is the difference between football fans in both countries or continents?
Simon Mol: Let’s begin with the similarities; football in all the places mentioned, is a social phenomenon that cannot be underestimated. Whenever there is a big game ahead, the whole country is aware of it days or even weeks before d-day.. in all cases everywhere, you can bet on fans to determine the social tempo of a town, city or country within the given period. There are fans who are always ready to trade their souls for victory for their clubs; this often manifests in a hypnotic reaction that affects even the moderates.. and when the pendulum swings and stays at the negative sphere for long, we know the consequences. However, in Europe generally, there is always the fear of orchestrated violence from hooligans looming threatening above.
Given the level of security put in place to curb violent eventualities whenever a crucial match is close at hand across Europe (which often doesn’t completely help in quelling violence), and the often feeble security apparatus on the African continent, I think European soccer fans can learn from their African counterparts in terms of sportsmanship. This is a major difference, i.e., African soccer fans can control the propensity to spontaneous violent reactions more than their European counterparts, when faced with the unpredictable energy commonly unleashed by the magic of football. It’s like players are kicked and tackled on the pitch spectators end up with the bruises.
Maybe you can also say something about the atmosphere in the stadiums or on the streets after important games? A friend of mine was in Cameroon during the Africa cup 2002 and he said it was really something else and much more intense than what he had ever seen in Germany after world cups or for example after St. Pauli matches.
Ans: Your friend certainly did touch a vital nerve center there about Cameroon… there were casualties when Cameroon failed to make it to Germany 2006. In Europe football is largely a commercial affair; investment and profit, TV rights, publicity, etc., to a very large extent that is. Another factor could be attributed to class distinction, i.e., there is a particular class of people that hardly react to football, whatever the game, even when the nation is playing. Quite often I hear, ‘it’s simply ridiculous to see 22 adults running behind an inflated leather’.
I can imagine what is going on in Cameroon now following the elimination of Cameroon from the African Nations Cup in Egypt. While acting as a unifying factor even here in Europe, football in Africa, particularly in Cameroon, is a personal and social healing factor, which is deeply ingrained in the psyche of the nation and in individuals. It is a fundamental cultural element.
Sadly Cameroon, who has many football friends in Germany and over the world since Roger Milla, didn’t qualify for 2006, but is there some sort of “pan African“ feeling? Do people from Cameroon or Nigeria now hope for a success of the other African teams or are they strictly national in their support? And - if you like to answer that - what about you personally and the team of the country you live in (Ebi Smolarek scores quite often for Dortmund, no reason why he shouldn’t do so against Germany too)?
Ans: Cameroon is a football nation… which means to be where it is today reputation and achievement wise, it had had to excel in self-discipline. Remember— one of the outstanding attributes of self-discipline in sports is accepting defeat bravely, even when it hurts. It’s worth recalling that Cameroon didn’t get to where it is today without swallowing bitter pills and eating humble pie; it did several times even right in front of its own fans. Some three decades ago Cameroon as host, failed to win the African Nations Cup. Also, Cameroon only made it to the World Cup in 1982, whereas countries like then Zaire, Ghana, etc., were the big names three decades ago. However through diligence, Cameroon emerged from the dust and overtook its rivals… it is hoped that this qualities shall remerge in the near future and it would be a grievous mistake to write off this great soccer nation because of one or two mishaps.
So yes, coming back to your question, there certainly does exist a Pan-African support in Cameroon for African representatives at the coming rendezvous in Germany. Roger Albert Milla, the greatest icon of African soccer is currently setting the example by wishing the African representatives all the best. On a personal level, I throw my weight behind Ivory Coast and Ghana… those are nations with promising sides and plenty of potentials.
Finally, it is logical that I support Poland at the forthcoming tournament; …on the one hand there are many, many Poles who love Cameroon because of its football prowess and on the other, this is my host country. Besides, I have had the opportunity of meeting two great Polish soccer legends; Grzegorz Lato and Zbigniew Boniek. In Cameroon even up to this day, there is a sobriquet for a player with a baldhead… such a player is called ‘Lato’. This sobriquet is reminiscent of the exploits of Grzegorz Lato at the 1982 World Cup in Spain, where Cameroon played alongside Poland in the same group. The legendary baldheaded Lato has today become a parliamentarian. When I met him at the Polish parliament we laughed over the jokes about how baldheaded players are called ‘Lato’ in Cameroon. Lato as well as Boniek, whom I also met at the PZPN Office (Polish Union of Football) , both still retain vivid visions of the Cameroon Vs Poland encounter in Spain and for this they both respect and love Cameroon.
In his book about his life as a footballer, Boniek admits that the legendary Cameroonian goalkeeper, Thomas Nkono, was the most challenging and respected opponent he ever played against in his entire soccer carrier. Hence football remains the most fertile common-ground between Cameroon and Poland. Prior to the 2002 World Cup finals in Korea/Japan Cameroon had a warm-up match against Poland in Poznan. The experience, which had a German connection with Cameroon having a German coach, turned out to be very amicable indeed. … talk of soccer ambassadors! Football in general, has done much to subdue racism in Poland, particularly when Emmanuel Olisadebe was playing for the Polish national team. So in conclusion, after football, religion (Catholicism) is the next element that unites Cameroon and Poland… so I hope that the Polish Red and White flag shall fly high in Germany!
Football and politics: Especially with regard to Cote d’ivoire there has been much talk about football as some sort of uniting power in a country at civil war. What is your opinion and experience about that?
Ans: Football and politics?… well, is there an area in the spheres of human existence involving big money and publicity where politics isn’t present? Far from it. Since politics calls the shots in today’s world, it respects no boundaries when it comes to widening its influence… it has to be seen and felt wherever a number of persons gather, as this presents a golden opportunity to garner support (nothing bad in this if it is done in good spirit, but is it always? Particularly in Africa and Europe the story remains largely the same).
Following Bafana Bafana’s (The South African National Team) poor performance in Egypt, this is what the South African president had to say;
"They did not try to ensure that our country becomes a winning nation. We cannot be a losing nation in a way that Bafana Bafana lost in Egypt."
The words of the president of Cameroon whenever the Lions triumph at a major tournament has become a cliché; dressed in a tradition diplomatic suit and exerting charisma through the state-owned TV channel with his forefinger pointing heavenward he historically repeats, ‘un sel mort, ‘continue’!’… whenever the Lions come home licking their wounds, the president goes into hiding.
About Ivory Coast, the answer is, ‘There shouldn’t have been any war in the first place:—
Do you know who will come to Germany next summer to support the teams from africa, what they think, want, fear et cetera?
Ans: No. Thanks you.
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