— (Reuters) After 20 years of World Cup failure, Cameroon’s reputation as gatecrashers, capable of eliminating top contenders and inflicting havoc, has diminished.
After their failure to make any impact since their storied exploits at Italia ’90, there will be low expectations of the Indomitable Lions in Qatar, where they are in a difficult group alongside Brazil, Serbia, and Switzerland.
That still stands as their zenith since it marked the first time an African team made it to the final eight after a charismatic side captured the attention of the entire world with equal parts cunning and aggression.
They were pioneers for the African game and are now regarded as a benchmark for the continent, shining in their vibrant green, red, and yellow uniforms.
Even though Cameroon shirts are still widely worn around the world, it has been a while since they were successfully worn at a World Cup.
Since 1990, they have competed in five World Cup competitions, although they have only won one of 15 games, a meaningless triumph over Saudi Arabia in the Asian championships 20 years ago.
Their primary ambition in Qatar will be to try and get another win under their belts but it is going to be difficult for a side who sneaked into the tournament courtesy of a goal deep in stoppage time at the end of extra time in the second leg of their playoff tie away to Algeria in March.
Their longtime defender and captain Rigobert Song took over just weeks before the postseason, and this was his second game in charge.
One of Samuel Eto’o’s first moves as the newly elected president of the football federation was to fire Portuguese coach Toni Conceicao, despite the team’s third-place performance at the Africa Cup of Nations finals at the beginning of the year.
The most successful player for Cameroon hasn’t spent any time in making his mark on the group and will have an equal say in squad decisions in Qatar as coach Song.
Along with a few other French-born footballers with Cameroonian heritage, Eto’o convinced Brentford striker Bryan Mbuemo to join the team; nevertheless, it is unclear whether this will have a substantial impact on their prospects.
With seven prior tournament participation, Cameroon is the most frequent visitor from Africa to the World Cup, but it appears that this will just be another exercise in frustration.
The country of Cameroon is faring far worse than it did in 1990.
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