IFFHS NEWS AND STATISTICS OF THE WEEK 38
Picture : he is very young and has already beaten a record with Dortmund. Jude Bellingham has really a great future !
RECORD FOR BELLINGHAM
the young Future of Dortmund : Giovanni Reyna, Erling Haaland, Jadon Sancho and Jude Bellingham
Jude Bellingham, young english Player of Borussia Dortmund, became last week at 17 years and 77 days old, the Youngest Player in the History of the German National Cup to score a goal ! He precedes in the ranking his teammate, US Giovanni Reyna, who scored with Dortmund last year at 17 years and 127 days. Julian Draxler (PSG) was long time the record holder when he scored in 2011 at 17 years and 133 days. Borussia Dortmund has really a great squad of young players for the future.
CAMEROON FEDERATION SUFFER SECOND CAS LOSS IN LESS THAN 24 HOURS
The Cameroon Football Federation just registered yet another loss in less than 24 hours following a ruling this September 15th by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, CAS, to reject an appeal by the former to overrule a decision by the Cameroon National Olympic and Sports Committee to annul a decision by the federation demoting New Stars Football Club of Douala to an inferior league. It is rather the back-to-back loss by the federation that is making news in the Cameroon football family today than the outcome of the substantive matter involved.
New Stars Football Club of Douala (picture) , were, before the start of the just ended football season, demoted to the second division following a controversial decision to reorganize the league that saw them fail to survive the tempest. Dissatisfied with the decision, the club appealed at the Chamber of Conciliation and Arbitration of the Cameroon National Olympic and Sports Committee, which in turn declared the decision by the federation as being null and void on October 21st, 2019. The latter then took the matter to CAS, which today upheld the decision they had appealed against, thereby restoring New Stars of Douala to the elite professional league.
Talking today on a popular program on the local tv channel, Equinoxe TV, the Chairman of the Board of Governors for New Stars Football Club, Faustin Domkeu, who is also the First Vice President of the Cameroon Professional Football league has regretted that the federation should keep on slicking mud at themselves, as it were, while saying he is ready to suggest to the football-governing body how they could go about settling the approximately 2 million Swiss francs penalty in charges and damages to the club. On the other hand, many are beginning to suggest that the President of the Federation, Seydou Mbombo Njoya could go ahead and resign alongside his executive as yet another CAS verdict on their eligibility becomes imminent.
EXPERIENCE WITH YLENIA CARABOTT
Ylenia Carabott is one of the most experienced footballers from Malta and recently joined Belgian side RCSC Sporting Charleroi as a forward. As a top striker, during her time in Malta, she won 9 top scorer awards with 8 consecutive times. In an exclusive interview with IFFHS, Ylenia opened up about her experiences.
IFFHS Q: How do you feel about your transfer from Malta football to Mainland Europe ?
Ylenia: There are big changes since luckily women's football over mainland Europe is given more importance than in Malta. The set up of the club, the professionalism and the training grounds is something I can only dream of having in my time in Malta. It's been a wonderful journey and I owe everything to the people who believed in me in Malta and over here because without them I wouldn't be able to wake up and follow my dream day in day out.
IFFHS Q: How do you get in Football ?. Who inspired you?
Ylenia: My grandfather and my uncle used to play football and although I do not remember their playing days, it automatically drew me into it. The boys in my family were all in football. We used to play in the streets of my hometown Floriana every summer night since I was 8 years old. I still have beautiful memories of me and my cousins playing for hours while our parents and grandparents watched. It was all that mattered at the time and that was my inspiration. Looking back, it is still fun, passionate and joyful.
IFFHS Q: Malta is a small country and it is not so popular even in European circles. How have you and other Malta players kept high profile to reach European top leagues?
Ylenia: Unfortunately since we have such a low profile it was hard to get to the big teams because the clubs will prefer a German or an Italian over a Maltese no matter the quality. I believe things are changing now, especially since Rachel Cuschieri made the big step to Anderlecht a few years ago. I believe it's our determination and willingness to make it no matter what has helped us to play in some of the top leagues in Europe.
IFFHS Q: What about the future of Malta Football?
Ylenia: The future looks bright, there are young players who are now joining foreign teams and I wish more to do the same because I'm afraid that is the only way forward for our national team to challenge bigger countries and look at getting better results. It is not because we lack the quality, I believe that we have top players in Malta but it's not easy going to work for 8 hours everyday, then you have to go to training and function as a professional. We grew up like that but times are now changing and we cannot keep living in the past.
IFFHS Q: Tell me about your family ?
Ylenia: My parents' names are Anna and Paul Carabott. They are both pensioners but my dad has a Jewelry shop. My mum is from Floriana, my home town as well and my dad is from Marsa. I have three sisters, three grandchildren and we are expecting another two twin boys in the coming days. I will definitely be encouraging them to play football from a young age.
IFFHS Q: As a woman footballer, did you face any difficulties from your community?
Ylenia: It was difficult when I was young to start football, hence why I started with a women's team at the age of 13 because there was a stigma about girls playing football at the time. I was allowed to play with the boys until I was 11, but then I had to stop and I remember every summer in between, crying every day to my parents to take me to play football. It was my dad who took me one evening and I haven't looked back ever since.
IFFHS Q: Who are your Favorite footballers in Malta and World?
Ylenia: My favorite Maltese footballer is my best friend, Rachel Cuschieri, not because she's a good friend but she is also an inspiration to me and all the young girls who one day dream of reaching the levels she has reached in the game. She has been through hell after two tough injuries and came back looking as fresh as ever. Others are Andre Schembri and Michael Mifsud from Malta. My favorite foreigners are Pernile Harder, Lucy Bronze, Wayne Rooney and Cristiano. The top inspiration is that David Beckham will always be my hero, yes I support Manchester United.
IFFHS Q: Tell me about yourself, your character, likes and what you hate?
Ylenia: I love dogs and ice cream, both make me happy when I am sad. I am a persistent and passionate person. I do everything with passion, I am a dreamer and I have an imaginary mind, I dream about things before I make them happen. I am also very blunt and honest, I will definitely tell you that your hair doesn't suit you. I am stubborn and a bad loser, I just hate losing and would do anything to win. I love spending time on myself though I do appreciate quality time with my family and friends. I also believe in respect, I think it is one of the most important values my parents taught me and for that I will be forever grateful.
IFFHS Q: What is your strength ?
Ylenia: My strength in football is my speed, my strength and the willingness to score in every match possible. I am determined to be better each day and that has also helped me be where I am today.
IFFHS Q: What about your favorite adventure and saddest moment in football?
Ylenia: The greatest adventure is surely qualifying from the Preliminary round of the FIFA Women's World Cup in 2013 and the saddest moment happened a few months ago when I was not allowed to play in the last two matches for the national team because of Covid. Knowing that we had a game to win in the qualifiers against Georgia, it was a real blow to take to sit down our first ever win in the qualifiers.
IFFHS Q: Did you think about your future?
Ylenia: I like to take things day by day, I am here right now and am delighted. Whatever is going to happen in the future is unknown, although my aim is to continue playing at the top-level as much as possible.
IFFHS Q: If not a footballer, What you will be?
Ylenia: If I wasn't a football, I would have liked to become an investigator or a police detective. I studied Criminology at University so I have the degree to continue pursuing my second dream, but who knows, maybe one day.
IFFHS Q: Your advice to the young generation ?
Ylenia: My advice to the younger generation is never to give up on your dreams no matter what they tell you. If you believe that you can do it then you can do it. If you wish to play professional football, you are lucky, now there's a lot of opportunities for you to do so. If someone tells you that girls can't play football, ignore them and show them that you can. You can do anything as long as you believe. Some days will be hard and you will want to give up, but you cannot give up because you will be the only one who can achieve your dream. Write it down, think about it and work on it everyday! Good luck and I hope to see many of you following your dreams in the future.
2 COMEBACKS, 3 DROPOUTS, 9 DEBUTANTS MARK CAMEROON LIST FOR CAMP.
The Cameroon Indomitable Lions head coach, Antonio Conceiçao Oliveira has, in a facebook live, published a 32-man list to camp in the Netherlands from 5th - 13th of October ahead of the 53rd and 4th days of qualifiers for the 2021 African Cup of Nations to be played in January 2022 due to the Covid-19. The list made of 4 goalkeepers, 10 defenders, 8 midfielders, and 10 attackers remarkably features two players who are making their comeback to the squad, Clinton Ndjie, and Nicolas N’koulou; three regulars being dropped, Sébastien Bassogog, Stéphane Bahoken, and Georges Mandjeck; and nine debutants, Blondy Noukeu, Boris Essele, Franck Evina, Brice Eteki, Yvan Neyou, Samuel Oum Gouet, William Ndenge, Serge Tabekou, and Eric Ayuk.
Sources close to the team say that the three key absences from the list as well as the fact that there is no player from the domestic league features therein is because Dutch authorities insist that because of the Covid-19 pandemic, they would not admit any player plying his trade outside Europe into the Netherlands. The same sources say the squad will play an international friendly with Japan on October 9th, with the possibility of yet another friendly with an unnamed country before the camp ends.
Hosts of the Total Afcon 2021, Cameroon will play two games against Group F mates, Mozambique between November 9th and 17th.
CAMEROON FA LOSE IN CAS RULING OVER FEUD WITH LEAGUE PRESIDENT.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport, CAS has overruled in the case in which the Cameroon Football Federation suspended the Executive Bureau of the Cameroon Professional League in October, 2019, and appointed then a Transitional Technical Committee to manage the affairs of the league. The Federation is required to pay a 5,000-Swiss-franc fee to the league in damages and to reinstate the suspended officials headed by retired army general, Pierre Semengue whose legibility at the helm thus goes effective as of October 18, 2019.
Trouble broke out when the Executive Bureau of the Federation suspended the Executive Bureau of the league on August 22nd last year on grounds of rampant violation of its own texts and failure to rise to its administrative and organizational billing, had then proceeded to appointing a Transitional Technical Committee to run the affairs of the league. An appeal by the former was rejected on October 18th by the Chamber of Conciliation and Arbitration of the Cameroon National Olympic and Sports Committee, thus making their suspension effective.
The league then proceeded to appealing the decision at CAS on February 19th, 2020. Both parties were heard by video-conference on 6th August, and the verdict to reinstate the Semengue bureau was taken this September 14th, on grounds that the decision by the federation to suspend the bureau had been illegal. The federation have acknowledged they are aware of the CAS ruling and will discuss the way forwarded next September 24th and 25th, twenty four hours ahead of the tentative resumption of the new football season in Cameroon.