For more than four decades, the narrative of Cameroonian sports has been inextricably linked to the enduring Presidency of Paul Biya.
As one of Africa’s longest-serving leaders, this 42-year period reveals a striking dualistic reality. On one hand, his administration’s direct influence has fueled moments of unifying, triumphant national glory; peaks often reached through presidential patronage.
But on the other, this dazzling legacy exists alongside a foundation weakened by persistent, systemic challenges: institutional instability, allegations of corruption, and chronic underinvestment in grassroots development.
To many Cameroonians, the story of their nation’s sports under Biya is a perfect, painful reflection of the country’s broader trajectory; brilliant flashes of success punctuating a vast landscape of unfulfilled potentials.
The Peaks: National Prestige And Presidential Patronage
The most visible successes of the Biya era are the occasions when Cameroon forcefully asserted itself on the global sporting map, achievements frequently facilitated by the state’s role as a direct financier and patron.
The most iconic of these is the sustained prowess of the national football team, the Indomitable Lions. Under Biya’s presidency, the team solidified its reputation as an African football powerhouse.
After securing five Africa Cup of Nations, AFCON, titles (in 1984, 1988, 2000, 2002, and 2017), the national football team became a source of immense pride. This championship spirit wasn’t exclusive to the football as volleyball and other sports disciplines also achieving national titles.
Crucially, each of these victories sparked nationwide celebrations and created rare moments of unity that transcended the country’s deep linguistic and political divides.
A pivotal moment, which underscored the President’s personal influence, occurred ahead of the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy. At the direct behest of Biya, legendary striker, Roger Milla was persuaded to come out of international retirement.
Milla’s subsequent performance, scoring four goals and leading the Indomitable Lions to a historic quarter-final finish (a first for any African nation) catapulted Cameroon into the global consciousness and remains an indelible high point in the nation’s sporting history.
Beyond football, the administration has pursued a policy of positioning Cameroon as a central hub for continental sports. This ambition has been realised with the hosting of major international sporting events including the 2016 Africa Women Cup of Nations and, after significant delays and logistical hurdles, the 2021 AFCON (staged in early 2022).
The latter tournament prompted a massive infrastructure push, resulting in the construction of new, world-class stadiums. The 60,000-seat Olembe Stadium in Yaounde, along with new facilities in Douala (Japoma), Garoua and Limbé as well as the Sport Complex that was already in service, stand as physical testaments to the state’s willingness to invest in major sporting projects.
The Biya’s government has also consistently employed financial incentives to motivate athletes. This system of patronage includes substantial cash bonuses for World Cup qualifications and appearances, as well as promises of villas and civil service ranks for Olympic medalists as well as other sports disciplines including domestic league.
In addition, the establishment of the Cameroon Football Academy, ANAFOOT, represented an effort to structurally develop the sport. As a public administrative institution, its stated mission is to provide football training and development for youth while supporting their formal education. While its long-term impact is still a subject of debate, its creation signaled an acknowledgment of the need for a more systematic approach to nurturing talent.
The Troughs: Systemic Weaknesses And Persistent Challenges
However, beneath these celebrated highs lies a sports ecosystem plagued by chronic and corrosive problems that have persisted throughout Biya’s long tenure. A primary criticism from sports analysts, local coaches and former athletes is the stark disparity between investment in elite, showpiece infrastructure and the neglect of grassroots facilities.
While glittering new stadiums were built for AFCON, often accompanied by allegations of cost overruns, local football pitches, community gyms and athletics tracks across the nation have been left in disrepair.
This focus on mega-projects, critics argue, has failed to create a sustainable pipeline for nurturing future generations of athletes, leaving the country reliant on raw, natural talent rather than a well-oiled development machine.
The management of Cameroonian sports, particularly football, has been characterised by political interference and administrative chaos. The national football federation, FECAFOOT, has been subjected to repeated government-imposed “normalisation committees,” disrupting long-term planning and eroding institutional memory.
The term “Cameroon football fever” as stated by many has become synonymous not just with passionate support, but with the recurring crises of player strikes over unpaid bonuses (Not seen for a while now), internal governance squabbles and political meddling that often overshadow on-pitch performances.
Despite official rhetoric promoting all sports, the overwhelming state and media focus on football has often come at the detriment of other disciplines. Sports where Cameroon once held competitive sway, such as athletics, boxing and handball, have suffered from chronic underfunding and a lack of structured development programmes.
This has led to situations where talented athletes in non-football sports struggle for recognition and state support, prompting many to seek opportunities abroad or abandon their careers prematurely.
Instances of athletes from these disciplines absconding from international team camps, citing poor conditions and neglect, have periodically surfaced, highlighting the depth of the problem.
Persistent allegations of corruption and financial mismanagement have also dogged the sports sector under Biya. The significant public expenditure on events like the 2021 AFCON, coupled with a lack of transparency in contracting and budgeting, has drawn sharp criticism from civil society groups and international transparency watchdogs. The failure to develop a sustainable, transparent and accountable model for sports financing remains a critical failure of the era.
Some political analysts and human rights advocates further argue that the government has often used major sporting events as a tool for political propaganda. They contend that these events are leveraged to project an image of national cohesion, stability and modernity on the international stage, potentially diverting attention from internal conflicts and governance issues, such as the protracted Anglophone crisis in the country’s Northwest and Southwest regions.
A Legacy In Perspective
As Paul Biya’s steps into his eight term as Cameroon’s President, his legacy in Cameroonian sports remains a complex and contradictory tapestry. Cameroonians argue that it is a story of spectacular triumphs, ingeniously engineered from the top, coexisting with a landscape of untapped potential and profound structural weaknesses at its base.
The iconic moments—Roger Milla’s dance, the AFCON victories, the new stadiums—are real and live vividly in the national memory, demonstrating the potent power of sport as a source of pride and unity.
Yet, the chronic instability of sports federations, the decaying local facilities, the struggles of non-football athletes and the shadow of financial opacity among others present a compelling counter-narrative.
The challenge for Cameroon’s sporting future will be to decisively addressed the deep-rooted governance and developmental issues that have limited the nation’s athletic potential for over four decades.
The stadiums now stand as monuments to ambition but the enduring task ahead is to fill them with a robust, transparent and sustainable system worthy of the athletes they are meant to inspire.
By Etienne Mainimo Mengnjo