The more I travel the continent the more grateful I am that we have it easy in South Africa despite our problems. I could not understand that it’s easier to get a jersey of a European club, more specifically the English Premiership, than it is to get one of an African country or a local club that isn’t Kaizer Chiefs, Orlando Pirates or Mamelodi Sundowns.
I searched for Cameroon’s 2014 World Cup jersey, a work of art, a couple of years ago. There isn’t a sport clothing store that I didn’t visit in the Joburg CBD. The people who work there gave me blank stares when I asked for that jersey and how long it would take to order it.
One salesperson even asked if I am a Cameroonian and when I said no, he asked why do I bother to look for it then.
At another store I was told to buy the kit of the France national team.
“It’s beautiful and more in demand than the Cameroon jersey,” the eager salesperson told me amid a cluster of kits from European countries who were at the World Cup. I couldn’t respond because apparently swearing at people for being idiots is ‘not allowed’.
I was reminded about this when I was searching for Canon Yaounde’s kit. I was greeted by the Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and French national team jersey in three of the stores I visited.
Despite being free for a number of years, colonialism still pops up in his ugly garb in so far as football on the continent is concerned. As we were colonised by the English, their league reigns supreme.
The French Ligue 1 in Cameroon enjoys similar hype and status. The other leagues are watched on patriotic lines, following them because a Cameroonian is in the side.
It was sad that at one of the stores, they not only didn’t have Cameroon’s new kit but the one they had was at the back of the a shop. For a country hosting a big tournament like the Africa Women Cup of Nations (AWC), customers should be greeted by their national team’s jersey rather than that of a European club.
I was unsuccessful in my attempt to get Canon’s jersey. I asked why the store do not stock jerseys of their local clubs and the response was honest.
“I don’t know,” he said.
Before that incident, though, I was won over by Cameroon’s patriotism. Their flag is all over the place. Stade Ahmadou Ahidjo is draped with it inside and outside. Billboards are dominated by Samuel Eto’o and the Indomitable Lionesses.
There are more billboards with their national team than those advertising the AWC which shows how much they’re backing them. There’s more visibility around this tournament than was the case in South Africa when we hosted the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon).
I found out that just by being in the tournament, each player from Cameroon was set to receive just over R11 000. By reaching the semi-final that money is increased to over R140 000. If they get to the final, they’ll pocket around R226 000 and should they win it, each of the 21 players will get just over R282 000.
When I told our driver that, he was disappointed. “Why are they giving them so much money when we are starving?” he asked. Before I heard that, I was amazed and impressed by the treatment they gave their women’s team. It shouldn’t be a surprise, though, because African Presidents love to use sport to build their cult personality.
Paul Biya doesn’t only have such a personality but he also has a travelling entourage to match. Around 40 vehicles and 20 bikes are part of his motorcade that forces every road he is travelling on to be closed. Our blue light brigade is nothing in comparison.
But the fact that we are advanced in certain things doesn’t mean we can’t learn from our continental counterparts. The support they give their teams is breathtaking. I doubt that even if tickets were given away, we could not fill a stadium with 35 000 people to watch Banyana Banyana. We like the idea of being sport fans at home but when it comes to supporting our teams, we are all talk and no action. We must change that, offering unwavering support, especially to the national teams, unlike the fleeting support we give them.
We need to be more passionate about our national teams.
Saturday Star