Presidential Decree Creates New Football Academy in Cameroon

Cameroon (Face2Face Africa) Cameroonian President Paul Biya (pictured below), has signed a decree creating a National Football Academy (pictured) in the republic.

SEE ALSO: Fallen Cameroonian Football Striker Albert Ebosse Honored 

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According to the presidential decree, the aim of creating a National Football Academy, abbreviated in the French language as ANAFOOT, is geared toward initiating young Cameroonian soccer players in the practice of top level football and the development of expertise in other football-related professions.

This is the first ever soccer academy to be created and owned by the state of Cameroon.

The academy will be expected to dispense courses in football coaching, referring, the management of sports infrastructures as well as courses in psychotherapy, sports medicine, and courses for football commentators.

The football academy will feature three specialized departments for a start, which shall include the departments of Development of Research and Documentation in football, Techniques and Professional Training of top-level football and that of the development of other football-related professions.

The creation of the football academy by President Biya is coming four year after he made a promise to the country’s youths on February 10,2010, when he said that he would create a top football academy that will train young Cameroonians in a sporting discipline that is considered a “King sport” in the republic.

Of late, Cameroon’s soccer prowess, which was rated very high, has been witnessing varying degrees of mixed fortunes as it no longer creates panic in opponents’ camps both at the national team and club levels due to poor management, unskilled professionals, and a lack of high-standard football infrastructures to detect and train burden talents for future challenges.

Since the Indomitable Lions reached the 1\4 finals of the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy, they have never gone beyond the group stages in several World Cup participations, recording worse results with zero points in both the 2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cup competitions in South Africa and Brazil. respectively, and missing out in the 1996 edition that was held in Germany.

In addition, the Indomitable Lions missed out in two of Africa’s biggest football competitions: the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in 2012 and 2013, which is something that has never happened before since the creation of AFCON in the very early ’70s.

Furthermore, Cameroonian club sides have not been doing well at the different African continental club level competitions like in the past. The last time a club from Cameroon won a trophy was 1980.

The creation of Cameroon’s National Football Academy could be the magic tool that will bring back the glory days of the “King sport” discipline that the republic once enjoyed and make their opponents both at the national team and club levels shiver each time they are confronted with Cameroon.

SEE ALSO: Cameroon Wins Bid To Host Africa’s Biggest Soccer Tournament in 2019