Cameroon have repeated African football’s favourite trick, and appointed a European that hardly anybody has heard of to coach their national team.
65-year-old German, Volker Finke, is the new coach of the Indomitable Lions.
It is Volker’s first gig in international football.
The biggest teams he has been in command of during his managerial career are Freiburg and briefly Cologne in Germany, and the Urawa Red Diamonds of Japan.
His only honours as a manager have been winning the Bundesliga’s second division twice with Freiburg, and finishing second with them once.
Until he was appointed Cameroon boss, Finke was director of football at German second tier club Cologne.
Finke’s first game in charge of Cameroon will be a friendly against Ukraine in Kiev next month.
He will then get down to work to ensure that the West African nation qualifies for the World Cup in Brazil next year.
The Lions are currently top of their qualifying group with six points, ahead of Libya (5), DR Congo (4) and Togo (1).
The winner of the group will advance to a two-legged playoff qualifier, with the winner of another qualifying group.
Cameroon’s football fans will be scratching their heads at this virtual nobody’s appointment to lead their national team.
Surely there were better, more qualified, possibly local applicants on the Cameroon Football Federation’s shortlist?
It could have been worse though. At least Cameroon did not get lumped with another reported candidate, disgraced Frenchman Raymond Domenech.
