Cameroon soccer captain Samuel Eto’o has
called on his country to forget recent poor performances and
concentrate on qualifying for the World Cup in Brazil.
“The failures we have experienced in
recent years have been a huge frustration but that’s life, with its
moments of joy and also its moments of sadness,” Eto’o said in an
interview with the official daily Cameroon Tribune on Wednesday.
It was the first comment from the
four-time African Footballer of the Year since Cameroon missed out on
African Nations Cup qualification last month, embarrassingly to the tiny
Cape Verde Islands.
Once a force in African football,
Cameroon have lost form in recent years, to a chorus of consternation in
the central African country.
“Nowadays, I think that the most
important (thing) is the future. We should draw lessons from our
mistakes of the past, recover, heal our wounds and move forward,” Eto’o
said.
“I believe deeply that failure can be
the foundation of success. We must build on these frustration to find
the strength necessary to bounce back,” added the 31-year-old striker as
Cameroon prepared to take on Albania in a friendly in Geneva on
Wednesday.
“The Indomitable Lions are one big
family. The players realise the responsibility to the people of
Cameroon. It’s our duty to live up positively to the expectations. I
think we are in the right direction.”
Eto’o had refused to play in the first
leg of the tie against Cape Verde, labelling the set-up around the team
amateurish. Last year, he led a boycott of a friendly against Algeria in
a row over unpaid bonuses.
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