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Football as a Cultural Symbol Cameroonians are deeply enthusiastic and passionate about football which is American Soccer in Africa. People in Cameroon tend to emphasize health and fitness but don’t necessarily have the money or infrastructure to develop ‘fitness centers.’ However since soccer is such a symbol of nationalism for Cameroon and highly integrated in its culture every village has soccer and everyone plays regardless of age or experience. Equipment is limited and in the past, international organizations and individuals have stepped in and provided balls and nets. Professional soccer in Cameroon has continued to gain popularity since the country’s independence. The national soccer team is known as the “Indomitable Lions” and is now ranked amongst the leading soccer teams in Africa. The team has won the National Cup in Africa four times and took the gold metal at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Some important players in the national soccer culture include Roger Milla, Emanuel Kunde, Raymond Kalla, Joseph Antoine Bell, Thomas N’kono and Pierre Wome. Marc-Vivien Foe was a player who is fondly remembered in Cameroon because he died during the Confederations Cup semifinal in 2003. Samuel Eto’o is probably the most internationally recognized soccer player and an iconic figure for Cameroonian culture. He was given African Footballer of the Year for three years in a row and he played on the European circuit where he played for Spanish giant FC Barcelona. The major teams in Cameroon’s soccer league are Cotonsport Garoua, Union Sportive Douala, Canon Yaounde, and Tonnerre Yaounde. Canon Yaounde is the most popular and successful as it has won nine premier league titles and 11 Cameroon Cup championships. While women enjoy equal rights with men and are often active in politics and business they have not really pursued soccer to the extent that the male population has. In recent years there have been attempts to encourage women to do sports by establishing national teams for women. (Global Road Warrior) Interestingly there has been development in women playing soccer in Cameroon but not other sports. In the Africa Cup, the women’s national team finished fourth place in 2000, third in 2002 and second in 2004. In Yaounde and Douala there are some private sports clubs and gyms but they are often to expensive for the average Cameroonian. It is interesting that certain gyms restrict admission to people of a certain ethnic background which reflects the challenges of such a diverse culture with a divided history. With African countries such as Cameroon there tends to be challenges with implementing the national policy on sports within schools. Children do play sports in elementary and high school but the philosophy on sports and education tends to argue academics take precedence over sports and time spent playing sports could be devoted to academic inquiry. Children in elite schools do have access to sporting facilities and often pursue sports in addition to schoolwork but this does not constitute the majority of the population. In terms of college sports, soccer is the dominant game played in the universities and a week long sports meet is run by the Minister of Higher Education which brings in 10,000 sporting talents at the university level.
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