Indomitable Lions : Revive The Conquering Spirit !

As the dust settles on the controversy that surrounded the unconvincing outing of Cameroon’s national football team on day two of the ongoing qualifiers ahead of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations to be hosted by Côte d'Ivoire, diehard fans are certainly keeping their fingers crossed to see what becomes of the Indomitable Lions in their next game. The third and fourth days of play of the qualifiers billed for next September will be highly awaited as supporters hope for change. 
Yes, change because what the team produced against Burundi was a complete shadow of the usual performance Cameroon football and the Indomitable Lions have been known for. Some might argue that the essential was attained; given that they won and picked three points to lead Group C, but the Dar es Salaam game was void of the spectacle many expected from the heroes of Blida. Cameroon’s heroic qualification for the Qatar 2022 World Cup on an away pitch and against a vociferous Algerian national team heightened the anxiety of fans who legitimately love to see the team progress rather than regress or at worse produce a lacklustre show like that of June 9, 2022. In fact, the Lion’s firing power was disappointingly absent! 
The June FIFA free period during which the match was played offered teams, especially World Cup contenders, the opportunity to play four matches. With the disqualification of Kenya; Cameroon’s first opponent in the qualifiers, the Indomitable Lions contented themselves with a test match against the local selection in Douala before heading to Tanzania for the game wherein their best was expected. Regrettably, they produced everything but that. 
What Cameroonians saw from Dar es Salaam was a selection of nearly arrogant and self-centred players and not a team preparing for a competitive World Cup. Players who thought they had arrived and had nothing again to show, footballers full of themselves and who erroneously assumed they had cemented their places in the team. The damaging results of their purposeless showing were telling on their uncoordinated play style, poor and inaccurate passes and the near absence of cohesion between the defence, midfield and attack. 
That Cameroon with a plethora of strikers the lead trainer lined up for the Burundi-Cameroon game could only find the back of the net once through a 30-minute free kick by Karl Toko Ekambi elucidates the lukewarm attitude and individualism the actors exhibited in a collective football game.  Such a performance was dishonouring for a country bracing up to participate for a record eight times in a premium competition like the World Cup. Disturbing indeed!
Visibly, the missing link in Cameroon’s output was the conquering spirit popularly known as the ‘fighting spirit’ that has kept successive selections surmounting challenging tasks. A lion’s spirit that had made the team to dare every opponent and even when they lose, the strong fight they put in comforts their fans. A Lion hardly gives in easily and usually fights to the end. This is the spirit that galvanised Cameroon’s national team to clinch a spot in their soon-to-be staged eighth World Cup participation and five Africa Cup of Nations trophies. That frame of mind that dreads every opponent of the Lions, even the best in the world is badly needed. 
This is the spirit that delivered the 2017 Indomitable Lions who went and conquered the fifth continental trophy in Gabon against all odds. They stood tall against insults from fans who considered the female national team better than them. The Lions collectively took up the challenge for victory and stood taller than the obstacles in Gabon to lift the coveted trophy.
The current breed of the Indomitable Lions absolutely need to revive the conquering Lions’ spirit as they look forward to future challenges. Superiority and or inferiority complexes both destroy individuals and teams. There is absolute need to remain focused and determined. Cameroonians need a combative team for Qatar next November 2022. That indispensable victor’s mind-set is what they desire to see in their flagbearers, the Indomitable Lions. Like the 2017 Lions took up the challenge to safe face against heightened criticisms, Vincent Aboubakar and mates need to do same and cancel the lurking bitterness in the minds of their supporters. The team goes by the name Indomitable Lions...