Bambui Sports Report: Mbifie hold on to Title in Final Clash of the Season

Mbifie 1 – 1 Ndoka (6 – 5 after penalties)

Last Sunday was the cup final between Ndoka FC and Mbifie FC, or as we called them; Spurs and Barca.

Although we go to watch the football every Sunday this week it was different. A local businessman had decided to sponsor the cup competition. The prize for the victorious finalist was a whopping 1,000,000 CFA! This is around £1300 which is a substantial amount of money in Bambui.

The promise of this large cash prize turned the usual grassroots competition, with its viewing figure of around 100, into a spectacular event drawing a crowd of well over 3000 from all over the region. The Fon and other dignitaries were on hand to give out the prizes after the pulsating match reached its climax with Mbifie snatching the cup on penalties.

This was the 4^th consecutive year in which Mbifie have put their name on the trophy which really highlights their dominance over the Bambui football league and the culture surrounding it.

All of the teams in the Bambui league play in replica kits of European football clubs. Mbifie play in that of Tottenham Hotspur (probably due to Cameroonian international Benoit Assou-Ekotou’s presence at the club), while Ndoka chose to model the kit of Barcelona. Even though we like to support the underdog (Ndoka, having never won a trophy), it was nice to see someone in a Spurs shirt receiving a medal…

As is always the case here in Cameroon, the match was heated. Mbifie should have been down to 10 men in the first half. The occasion had clearly gotten to the referee which clouded his judgement in the opening 30 minutes. After a harsh challenge by a powerful Mbifie defender (already on a yellow card) on one of the Ndoka starlets, the referee reached for his cards only for the Mbifie captain to grab the cards from the referee’s hand and refuse to give them back! This resulted in the defender not receiving his second yellow – and nothing was done about the Mbifie captain – Now I’m no expert on the rules of the Cameroon Football Federation (FECAFOOT) but perhaps they should have been down to 9 men?!

After a tense first half in which tempers flared and the local army tamed the crowd by appearing menacing with their weapons, the deadlock was broken on 60 minutes by Ndoka FC. A neatly taken set-piece resulted in a powerful header hitting the back of the net which sent the crowd wild. This sparked the first pitch invasion of the afternoon. I was impressed (and comforted) by the army personnel’s quietly firm and professional response to the invasion, calmly asking that people walk back to their spectator positions.

Ndoka’s lead was short lived. A smooth short and quick passing move resulted in the Mbifie striker calmly breaking through the Ndoka defence to slot a low drive past the keeper. It was 1-1. And time for the Mbifie fans to run onto the pitch.

As the game was still tied on 90 minutes the referee signalled that the match would go straight to penalties to decide who would be victorious. Extra time was skipped due to the (surprisingly…) late starting of the match and the fact that it would be dark soon.

It was all down to fate.

After the first 5 penalties it was still even; both teams converting 3 of the 5. In sudden death the Mbifie goalkeeper showed everyone why he is regarded as the best stopper in Bambui by saving Ndoka’s 7^th spot kick and silenced his critics by ensuring victory for the competition favourites.

The pitch invasion which followed this tense and atmospheric finale was just as entertaining as the match itself. Cars, bikes, a man on a horse, flags, flares, horns, drums and general joy could be seen and heard emanating from the hallowed turf of the St Peters pitch.

Mbifie were victors however Ndoka will feel they should have taken something from the game.

Who can stop Mbifie? Ndoka are easily the main contender to the throne of Bambui football however they need to invest in their squad and work on a ‘plan B’. Playing everything through their star players, numbers 7 and 17, is not always effective. This strategy was immobilized by Mbife by simply marking them out of the game and dominating the midfield with their strength. It is claimed by some fans and the wider community that the repercussions of this defeat could spell the end of the Ndoka managers time at the club as they are perceived to underachieve.

So, Mbifie take the biggest prize in Bambui football again, however it was not as easy as they’d have liked. Does the nature of this win show that they can be beaten? Yes. Does it show that their glory days are drawing to a close? This reporter doesn’t think so.

Chris Maughan

Reignite Sports Editor, Bambui, Cameroon    

Jo: I saw some nice footballers and got free wine! And food!