The All University Games just ended last Saturday, April 30, but not without some drama. Cameroonians who were part of the sporting jamboree may never forget what happened at the football pitch prior to the finals of men’s football match, pitting the University of Buea (UB) against that of Yaoundé I.

The match that started with a lot of controversy and rules bending to favour the Yaounde team saw UB Vice Chancellor, Nalova Lyonga, so repulsed that uncharacteristic of her, she openly snubbed Fame Ndongo, Minister of Higher Education.

The drama was ignited by players of the Yaounde University team deliberate effort to stay away from the pitch while the Buea team sat there waiting for hours. The Yaounde team actually walked in two hours late. The Minister and other officials were forced to sit in wait too for hours for the Yaoundé I team to arrive. After waiting to no avail, the main pitch also known as stade d’intergration that was to host the match was given to the ladies to have their match. When the team from Yaoundé I finally showed up, players and officials of Buea insisted the game was over and that they were winners by forfeiture according to the rules.

The Buea delegation, led by Nalova, insisted the game was over, that the rule be applied and their team declared winners. Nalova, the strong girl that she is would not want her team to step an inch back into the pitch any more – she told them to leave the pitch for as per the rules they have won.

The Cameroon Journal learned that the late coming of the team from Yaoundé was a
well-orchestrated show to come after the ladies’ team was already occupying the main pitch. This, they will be asked to play their own game in a different pitch further away from the view of state officials where match officials would be able to bend the rules and cause UB to lose the much coveted Gold Medal that they won during the last games in 2015.

When UB authorities got winged of this, they asked their players not to play because the Yaoundé match officials would do all to make the Yaounde team carry the day.

When Buea would not return to the pitch, it was then that Fame Ndongo, the Minister, was forced to abandon the finals of the female football competition to trek down to the secondary stadium where he met UB authorities in attempt to broker a settlement. Nalova was invited into the circle that had been formed to broker the solution. Surrounding the circle were hundreds of UB supporters already losing patience. In the impromptu meeting, Nalova Lyonga was heard categorically telling the Minister and other officials that her team wasn’t going to play the match. People saw her nod her head in disagreement of what was being agreed upon and then walked out of the presence of the Minister who was left with his officials, including the Rector of the University of Yaoundé I, Maurice Aurelien Sosso.

Nalova left the gathering, went and sat under a man-made shade provided by her heavily imposed bodyguard and watched the drama from a distance, continuing to give firm instructions to her team not to enter the field.

After failing to bend Nalova, the Yaoundé authorities resorted to the UB team’s captain, invited him into the circle and tried coercing him to getting his team to play the match. But their luck also failed here. The courageous team captain of Buea was unyielding as his Vice Chancellor, telling them that his mates would not play. It wasn’t until pressure started coming in from their coach, Asongu Nicholas, that the UB players yielded to the Minister and his cronies and got into the field without the blessings of Nalova Lyonga.

The match, scheduled for 11am didn’t take place till about 1pm, and though it could have gone into prolongation as it ended a draw after 60 minutes, the match went straight into penalties shot-out ending in the favour of Yaounde team with an aggregate 6-5 post match penalties.

At the end of the day, a visibly angry Vice Chancellor declared that she wasn’t happy with the outcome of the games. “They organized the University Games for students to bring out their talents but “people” come and impose rules.” She quipped.

The next edition of the games would be hosted by the newly created University of Bamenda.