Canada booked place at Qatar 2022 with USA on the brink of qualification

Cameroon today : The football fans who hope their national team lose

According to Tony Finno's report , the recent Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon showed the country's enthusiasm for football , but with the national team preparing for the World Cup play-off , not all Cameroonians want the team to arrive in Qatar .

Sport and politics are often said not to mix , but when it comes to football in Cameroon , they are intimately interwoven .

The five-year battle between Anglophone separatists and the government has spilled out onto the football field .

When Egypt defeated Cameroon in the Afcon semi-finals , much of the country wept , but Bamenda , the epicenter of discontent in the English-speaking regions , erupted in joy . The majority of those who rejoiced at Cameroon's defeat did so in the privacy of their houses , but their voices could be heard across the city .

Whistles , chanting , and even motorbike stunts echoed the sentiments of many southern Cameroonians who saw the Indomitable Lions , as the national team is known , as a vivid embodiment of a union they loathe .

Dr . Ngwa Ebogo , a surgeon and urologist , was among those who rejoiced at the Afcon defeat .

He is aware of the significance that sport plays in politics in the country , as well as the impact it has on the lives of his patients , himself a die-hard football enthusiast .

" This country has a proclivity for using football to bury serious concerns . They tend to invest more in football because they recognize it as a unifying force " he declares

The outrage in Bamenda is a striking contrast to the outrage in 1998 when some citizens set fire to the offices of Cameroon's national energy supplier in a fit of rage after electricity ran out just before the Indomitable Lions' World Cup match against Austria .

At the time , Cameroon's separatist movement was a clandestine organization led by rebellious state workers looking to retire early .

Dr . Ebogo supported Cameroon until the southern Cameroonian crisis began in 2016 . He thinks believes Cameroon's sporting triumphs are part of the government's diversionary tactic .

 " Even if the Indomitable Lions prevail , you lose sight of why you're fighting in the first place . They've been doing it this way for a long time . The people's sorrow grows with each triumph brought home by the Indomitable Lions . " 

President Paul Biya , 89 , is in his 40th year in power , and the team plays a key role in his carefully orchestrated image .

As the country's first sportsmen , a popular video clip of a young Mr Biya applauding the team was shown on national television after each Afcon victory during the recent competition .

 " Most Cameroonians believe that the Indomitable Lions' victories are due to the strong man , " adds Dr. Ebogo .

 " People send resolutions of support to the president of the republic after the Indomitable Lions win a prize . " 

Bamenda residents are cautious about who they express their ideas to , so it's a constant battle to keep their pleasure in check when the Indomitable Lions lose .

Knowing eyes and grinning faces reveal only a small part of the story out in the open , where disagreement can be lethal .

Cameroon was partitioned by the French   and British during the colonial era , resulting in a linguistic and cultural division .

English-speakers protested for decades following independence that they were being marginalized , with political and economic power concentrated in the hands of the French-speaking majority .

This has now erupted into open insurrection and cries for the English-speaking region's independence .

The women's national team was the war's first victim .

'Anyone but Cameroon , ' they say .

They were expected to fight Nigeria for the trophy as hosts of the women's Afcon in 2016 .

Despite the savage assault on southern  Cameroonian activists a few weeks prior , most pubs in Bamenda were packed with fans cheering on the Indomitable Lionesses when the competition began on November 19 .

As the situation worsened , this sentiment was replaced by apathy and outright opposition by 3 December , the day of the final . Only two weeks were required to demolish decades of southern Cameroonian support .

The majority of Southern Cameroonians were never enthusiastic about this year's continental tournament . ABC , or Anyone But Cameroon , was the guiding concept for many . Dr . Ebogo joined Team ABC and spent time scouting Cameroon's adversaries .

 " There was nothing like Nations Cup fever in Bamenda . They even offered to ferry people to Bafoussam , but no one took them up on it " He was referring to the government and politicians ' use of free tickets , transportation , and coercion to fill empty stadiums .

However , not everyone agrees .

Smith Mbua , a human resources expert , puts his love of the game ahead of his political views . He went to Yaoundé to witness Cameroon play Ethiopia and Burkina Faso .

 " Politics should have no place in football . We will find a solution to our difficulties in some way , but it should not deprive people of the things that make them joyful " he declares 

 " We have more pressing concerns . We need hospitals , better schools , and to compensate our teachers who are currently on strike for not being paid , but football has always brought us peace . " 

Mr . Mbua claims he has not received any threats since returning from Afcon but confesses he keeps his support for the Indomitable Lions under wraps . He believes that support for the national team can be influenced by factors including performance and personal preference .

He is more optimistic about the level of support among Cameroonians in the south .

 " I'd venture to guess that at the Afcon , 60% of Anglophones supported the national squad . People are furious , but I believe we still love our nation deep inside . " 

Even the nomination of national football hero Samuel Eto'o as president of the Cameroon football federation , according to Dr . Ebogo , is insufficient to inspire Bamenda citizens to support the national team .

 " I believe it will be a difficult effort to convince people to adore the Indomitable Lions as much as we did in 1990 , " he says , referring to the ongoing conflict .

So , will Cameroon defeat Algeria for a World Cup berth ? 

" I pray and hope the answer is no . "