FRANCE 98 – General Media News Template
Cameroon touched down in America for the 1994 World Cup finals high on expectation after an unforgettable campaign in Italy four years earlier.
But it was soon clear the indomitable carefree spirit that had taken the 1990 finals by storm with the heroics of Roger Milla and his men was gone, in its place was unseemly squabbling over unpaid salaries. From African mould breakers to an embarrassment, Cameroon had lost their way-a far cry from that famous victory over Argentina in the opening game of Italia 90.
The Lions, in sharp contrast to first-round rivals Bulgaria, are a young squad, with the charismatic Milla, Emmanuel Kunde and Cyrille Makanaky all relieved of their duties on the front line. Their future rests on the shoulders of players like Salomon Olembe, who became the youngest player to grace Wembley when he appeared in the side that lost 2-0 to England in November just weeks before his 17th birthday.
The precocious Olembe, like a number of his teammates, plays in the French league for Nantes and he made a bright start to his fledgling international career when scoring on his debut against Cuba. New coach Claude Le Roy, a former sports director at Paris St Germain, will also be pinning his hopes on the continuing sparkling form of his French-born striker Joseph-Desire Job, who turned down an invitation to play for France’s Under-21 team. The 20-year-old has caused a real stir at Lyon, illuminating the side with his goalscoring prowess. But Cameroon’s biggest star this summer could be Patrick Mboma, who emerged as top scorer in the African qualifiers with five goals. Formerly with Metz and PSG. he moved to Gamba Osaka and last year was top scorer in the Japanese league with 25 goals in 28 matches. Cameroon emerged unbeaten in their qualifying group, finishing with a four-point cushion over Angola. The stage is set, now all they have to do is rekindle that old sparkle.