By Walter Wilson Nana
Buea, Cameroon
German born football technician, Volker Finke is new Coach of the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon. He takes over from Cameroonian and Sydney 2000 Olympic Gold Medallist in football, Jean Paul Akono.
64-year-old Finke was appointed Wednesday, May 22 2013 by the Minister of Sports & Physical Education, Adoum Garoua, after a shortlist was presented to him by a commission composed of members of Cameroon football governing body, FECAFOOT and officials of the Ministry of Sports & Physical Education.
The German has as principal mission; qualify the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon to World Cup 2014 in Brazil.
Volker Finke, new coach for the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon.
Prior to his newfound job in Cameroon, Finke was the Sporting Director of the Teranga Lions of Senegal. He is noted to have being in Amateur and Professional football circles in Germany. In one of his German football clubs, SC Freiburg, he spent 16 years, during which he took the club from Division II to Division I.
From Freiburg, Finke had stints at FC Koln as Director and later at Cologne as General Manager. He will move to Japan to be part of Orawa Red Diamonds and subsequently to Senegal, where he has being serving as Sporting Director until his new responsibility as the head of the technical bench of the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon.
Void of any silverware to his credit, the German comes to Cameroon for new exploits and challenges. These include; winning a trophy with the Indomitable Lions, reviving the dwindling fortunes of Cameroon football and that of the Indomitable Lions in particular.
The tasks ahead of Finke begin June 2 2013 with an international friendly against Ukraine slated for Kiev before embarking on two crucial African Qualifiers for World 2014 in Brazil. These are matches against the Hawks of Togo to be played in Lome and against the Leopards of the DRC programmed for Kinshasa.
Finke, who speaks English, French and German was born March 24, 1948 in Nienburg, Lower Saxony in Germany.
Before his sacking, Jean Paul Akono has being in the den of the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon for several months without a contract.
Recently, opinions have being divided across Cameroon on whether Akono should be replaced or not. Some observers found Akono doing a good job so far, re-positioning the Indomitable Lions on the pole position as they take on the African Qualifiers for World Cup 2014 in Brazil.
Cameroon’s Roving Ambassador and legendary footballer, Albert Roger Milla has being bitter with FECAFOOT for initiating the sacking of Akono. He holds that the coming of a white man is to squander the tax-payers’ money in Cameroon, positing that Akono should sign a contract with FECAFOOT and the government of Cameroon via the Ministry of Sports & Physical Education.
Other football enthusiasts not comfortable with Akono say he is old-fashioned in his style of operations.
