"Does Samuel Eto'o need this horde of arsonist lawyers?" Dr Claude Kana on the André Onana affair

In Cameroon, opinion is split into two camps when it comes to goalkeeper André Onana's performances. There are those who back him whatever the result, and those who criticise him even when the team win and he plays well. How do you explain that he can now provoke so much hostility in his own country?

If you look at it purely from a sporting angle, you are likely to get the wrong reading. The political climate in Cameroon is extremely tense at the moment. Cameroonians can no longer agree on anything. Football, a symbol of national unity and until now the last bastion, has also been swept up in this trend. Political frustrations spill over into every stance taken, which are no longer a simple analysis of the facts but a declaration of allegiance, and that is regrettable. Until now, every Cameroonian who flew the national flag abroad had everyone's support. Today, in the eyes of the world, we are putting on an ugly show. During the Europa League quarter-final between Lyon and Manchester United, André Onana was attacked by the Lyon media and supporters. It was sad to see Cameroonians joining in. I think it is urgent that we pull ourselves together, but I very much doubt that will happen without political change.

Online, some of André Onana's fiercest critics like to present themselves as "Églisiens", a group of supporters of Fécafoot president Samuel Eto'o, his former mentor, with whom he is accused of having had a frosty relationship for more than two years. Ultimately, should Cameroonians expect their footballers only to perform on the pitch, or also to be deferential towards towering figures such as Eto'o?

Samuel Eto'o played for Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, Inter Milan and Chelsea. He won many team and individual honours, and was decisive every time. He is the most decorated African footballer. As such, whether you love him or hate him, you cannot deny what he has achieved. André Onana, for his part, was developed at FC Barcelona. He has played for Ajax Amsterdam, Inter Milan and now Manchester United. Whatever people think, he is making his own way, and his career is exceptional. Where did the idea of comparing and pitting two great figures of Cameroonian football history against each other come from? To compare is to discriminate. What forces us to choose between the two? Samuel Eto'o was decisive in the early part of André Onana's career, that is a fact. If the two have fallen out, does Samuel Eto'o need this horde of lawyers who are in fact arsonists? If Samuel and André have a problem, they sit down and sort it out. Or they don't! André Onana is criticised for his character, which is the hallmark of great players, and which took Samuel Eto'o himself to the top of his game.

Read also: "You'll tell your parents what's happening to you": Fabrice Olinga launches scathing attack on André Onana

Does this stance reflect simple fan passion, or is it part of a wider trend of radicalisation in attitudes around football, to the point of overshadowing the national interest?

If you regard this stance as simple fan passion, then you are making a partial analysis. You could list endless names from the world of sport who have been attacked over the past four years, rightly or wrongly (I am not passing any peremptory judgement because the reasons were many), by a horde of radicalised people: Yannick Noah, Joseph Antoine Bell, Narcisse Mouelle Kombi, Geremi Njitap Fotso, General Pierre Semengué, Joseph Feutcheu, Gilbert Kadji, Alexandre Song, Achille Emana, Pierre Womé, Guibaï Gatama, Abdourahmane Baba, Faustin Domkeu, Jalla Quann, Justin Tagouh, Parfait Siki, Benjamin Banlock, Alioum Sidi, Jérôme Max Komé, Nséké Adolphe, Owona Gaspard, François Omam-Biyik, Marc Brys… I have no wish to generalise or to act as an advocate for anyone, but this is proof of the radicalisation around Cameroonian football, which has also taken hold of society as a whole. Nobody cares about the national interest any more.

Besides, despite his repeated failures in charge of the national teams, many Cameroonians were heard calling for Rigobert Song to be kept on after the calamitous showing at the Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast. We have also heard Cameroonians demand Marc Brys's departure, despite qualification for the next Africa Cup of Nations, because of a clash of personalities. I firmly condemned the interview he gave to the Belgian newspaper, in which he attacked the Fécafoot president. But once that is done, what matters most is whether he delivers positive results for the Indomitable Lions, because that is why he was hired.

André Onana is applauded in Europe and praised for his humanitarian work, but jeered at home. Is this contradiction typically Cameroonian?

I don't know whether it is typically Cameroonian. I don't think so, in fact, because there are idiots everywhere. But what is worrying and even frightening is the large number of people who are no longer able to step back a little and make an unbiased judgement. I am not an Onana fan. In the line of great Cameroonian goalkeepers, I rank him after Thomas Nkono, Joseph Antoine Bell, Alioum Boukar and Jean Atangana Ottou. But we must be honest and acknowledge that playing for FC Barcelona, Ajax Amsterdam, Inter Milan and Manchester United cannot be down to chance. He has undeniable qualities that put him on the Ballon d'Or list a year ago. Away from the stadiums, he does a fair amount of humanitarian work. It is a real shame that so many Cameroonians have taken against him. He isn't perfect, Onana. Another reading would be his relationships within the inner circle, which may irritate some. But I prefer to focus on the sporting side, Samuel Eto'o and André being on the same side politically. But it is time we gave this lad a bit of a break, a lad many countries envy us for.

Through André Onana, are we not witnessing a wider crisis: that of a country struggling to reconcile new emerging figures with the legacy of football's former "gods"?

As I said above, Cameroonian football mirrors Cameroonian society: fractured, irreconcilable. Football cannot be a sacred island in a country eaten away by poverty, tribalism, bitterness, hatred and the loss of values. We are going through a terrible time. Our society is sick.

As a historian, can you recall Cameroonian football having other figures as divisive as André Onana?

The answer is clearly no. The most divisive footballer of his era was Joseph Antoine Bell, but not for the same reasons. The former Olympique de Marseille captain had what his detractors called "a big mouth". He never held his tongue and did not hesitate to level sharp criticism at the management of Cameroonian football and of the national team. It earned him enmities. But it was very, very far from what is happening today. Today, it is live ammunition. The attacks are driven by hatred.

Is forgiveness or reconciliation between Eto'o and Onana still possible? Or do Cameroonians need to "pick a side" in this affair?

Of course reconciliation between Samuel Eto'o and André Onana is possible. To my knowledge, I know of no facts that would make it impossible. Besides, the arsonists I mentioned earlier are always more radical than the real protagonists. They are aggressive and uncompromising. They are self-appointed advocates whom nobody has instructed. On social media, they go after anyone who tries to stay neutral and order everyone to pick a side, which is absurd. I don't think we are in a war. Why should Cameroonians have to choose between two children of the Republic? You can criticise one or the other without hating either of them.

Interview by A.W.