Soccer News of Friday, 1 April 2016

Source: The Post Newspaper

Limbe Omnisport Stadium makes history

Limbe Omnisport Stadium Limbe Omnisport Stadium

Since the creation of the Cameroon football team on January 1, 1959, this was the first time the city of Limbe, in particular, and the Southwest Region, in general was hosting an international game.

According to reports, out of the 19,100 tickets printed for the Cameroon-South Africa encounter, 14,000 tickets were sent to the Southwest region giving the inhabitants of this part of the country the opportunity to watch the Lions play live for the first time.

It was also the first time that chiefs who turned out in two 30-seater buses and their subjects sad in the same stadium to cheer the Lions to victory.

The Indomitable Lions, also in this same stadium,were playing Bafana Bafana for the first time on home soil. Before this encounter, since July 7, 1992, when South Africa returned from international isolation, the two sides have met seven times, Cameroon has won just one, recorded three draws and suffered three defeats.

The first goal at the Limbe Omnisport Stadium was scored by South African born Tokelo Rantie, donning jersey number 17. He scored at the 17th minute of the encounter. This is the first official goal scored in the newly constructed stadium.

However, Sebastien Siani became the first Cameroonian to score at the newly constructed Limbe Omnisport Stadium, thanks to his superb strike at the 45th minute of the game that saw both sides go to recess on a parity score-line.

For the first time in history, Cameroon Football Federation, FECAFOOT, honoured two veteran sports journalists, Zackary Nkwo and Abel Mbengue for their contributions in the development of Cameroon football.

Also, it was the first time FECAFOOT instituted an English Premier League-like security forces around the play ground. These security forces spent their time looking at the population rather than the game going on. It was the first time football lovers were witnessing this in Cameroon football.