Football - Cameroon: Club president on the bench, national team coach in the stands

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Cameroon MTN Elite 1 championship is gaining steam with mouth watering fixtures on match day 3. The center of attraction was in Limbe where 2024 champions Victoria United hosted Coton Sport of Garoua. A major incident stole the show. Nkwain Valentine, President of Victoria United was coaching his team from the bench while Coton Sport of Garoua was still being deprived of their coach David Pagou who was seen coaching from the stands.

What was suppose to be the top match of Day 3 of the Cameroon MTN Elite 1 championship turned out to be a scene of mockery and unseen behaviors in football. Victoria United hosted Coton Sport at the Centenary stadium in Limbe. The visitors took an early lead which they managed to conserve till the end of the game. Three valuable points for the Garoua team on the road but the highlight of the game was visibly away from the pitch.

Nkwain Valentine on the bench, David Pagou in the stands

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FootAI, caught the president of Victoria United coaching his team on the bench

The President of OPOPO was seen animating the game from the bench. In most instances, the team's coach David Nganbe was seated while his president took charge of the game. A move that left many fans baffled as to where power lies. On the other hand David Pagou coach of Coton Sport of Garoua whose name was on the match form was spotted in the midst of spectators, unable to coach his side. Pagou doubles as the coach of the Indomitable Lions and led the team to the 2025 AFCON in Morocco. Since the start of the league, Pagou has not been seen on the bench of Coton Sport.

A recurrent issue left unsettled

This is not the first time such incidents are associated with OPOPO. During their championship winning season in 2024, Valentine Nkwain was actively involved on the bench for his team during the play offs tournament in Douala. Nkwain who is not listed as a coach in the Cameroon Association of Elite Coaches is seen on the bench severally while Pagou, experienced and licensed with a CAF A echelon is sidelined to the stands. Since 2024, no arm of the coaching discipline in Cameroon has ever raised concerns on this particular case of power vs qualification.

FECAFOOT's silence could mean they are accomplices

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David Pagou fished out in the stands by Braze Sport cameras

Many unanswered questions pollute the air concerning the issue. Why has FECAFOOT not issue a license for Coton Sport's coach Pagou, three days into the championship? On what basis is Victoria United's President coaching his team from the bench during Elite 1 matches? What has been the position of the coaching corp to this recurrent incident that undermines the authority and position of Cameroonian coaches?. A worrisome observation that left the fans unsettled. A national team coach reduced to a mere spectator while a club president takes control of a professional league match in Cameroon. The Cameroon Football Federation is yet to say a word concerning the issue that eclipsed game plans, tactics and play styles in Match day 3 of the Cameroon professional football league.