"Football is the reason for our feet." "We wake up in the morning, and all we breathe is football." "Narrated by Terence Stamp" "Prof. James Mangan Historian, England" "Dennis Liwewe Broadcaster, Zambia" "Kwabena Yeboah Journalist, Ghana" "Segregation was obligatory in colonial times." "It was separation." "Pierre Essama Essomba Historian, Cameroon The blacks didn't have citizen status, so they couldn't play against teams made up of whites, who were French citizens." "So the whites played amongst themselves, and the blacks said to themselves "We will also try."" "So they began their own teams." "In Douala, the first indigenous team was Oryx-Douala, which was made up only of black men." "In Yaoundé, the first team was a team of whites called the "Grand Superiors"." "Tadele Tessema Yidnekatchew's son" "The North African Cup was a competition" "Just Fontaine USM Casablanca which united all the clubs of North Africa." "There was Algeria, Tunisia, Oran, Constantine and Morocco." "This competition woke us all up." "Dr. Abdul Halim Founding Member of CAF" "Those were unforgettable matches." "Mohamed Ad-diba Egyptian International The success of this championship and its popularity amongst the Sudanese encouraged the African Federation to organise a tournament on a biennial basis," "to be played in a different country each time." "Kabulo Mwana Kabulo Journalist, Congo He wanted to become the greatest African president, and he used sport for his campaign and for his publicity." "It was a success for us, because Mobutu invested in us." "Pierre Kalala Congolese International It wasn't until the 76th minute that the winning goal arrived." "I got past the defender, knocked it up, and I scored the goal." "It was a proud moment." "In about 1973 and 1974," "Zaire, which is known as Congo, was the "tops" on an economic level." "There was a lot of money, the economy was going well." "Remember also that in 1974, the boxing world heavyweight title was held in Kinshasa - Muhammad Ali versus George Foreman." "It was the same year in which Zaire won the African Nations Cup in Egypt, and went to the World Cup." "So it was a fantastic year." "Our national team success in 1974." "Kabasu Babo Zairean International What was it due to?" "Our preparation." "We prepared for a long time, and look what it gave us results-wise." "After the African Nations Cup, we left as African champions." "Gold medallists." "In that year, we were spoiled." "We were African champions, and we were representing Africa in the World Cup." "I think they left without much motivation." "They were under no illusions." "If they were to say they are going to the World Cup to win - no!" "They said "Brazil is going, Germany is going", and everybody was so scared of those teams." "They said "Listen, we will go, we will play."" "But we just asked them not to be an embarrassment." "On the decision of the authorities, we selected all the witch doctors in the provinces." "The best arrived in Kinshasa, and then got on a plane to Germany." "Emmanuel Maradas African Soccer Magazine" "Mwepu Ilunga Zairean International We played very well because, on arriving in Germany, we were promised all these bonuses, bonuses for participation, after the first match against Scotland." "We played very well in that match." "The Scotland manager had promised to beat us 11-0." "We played, and we lost 2-0." "That was it, I was very happy." "We were sure that after the match against Scotland, we could get our match bonus, but instead we were told there was nothing." "So there were always problems with money in the African teams." "There was a bonus from FIFA, and the players at the hotel heard that they would be given a lot of money." "So before Yugoslavia, they demanded the money." ""You talked about it." "Give us our money."" "But there was no money, and so there was an atmosphere of mistrust." "Two hours before the match, the players refused to play." "Well, they played, but were determined not to commit themselves." "They sabotaged the game against Yugoslavia." "They didn't want to play, and they lost." "We didn't want to play." "Look at the films." "We didn't want to play." "We were walking around the field." "You should study the films well." "It is clear." "Everything was left, everything was forgotten." "Everything was dropped after the World Cup." "We were all dropped, and I will tell you something." "We came back from the World Cup and we didn't find any welcome." "On our return, we found no welcome, no one at the airport." "We were picked up by taxi drivers, fans who liked us and found us wandering round the airport." "So there you see the welcome which we were given." "We should have congratulated them, but there were only problems." "They were practically put aside on the decision of the government." "What does that give to football?" "Some of them went to the market and became tradesmen." "They started to sell peanuts." "We thought that after the World Cup we could maybe play in Europe, get contracts with European teams." "It did not happen." "We returned home and were abandoned." "It was from FIFA that we expected a lot, because after the World Cup, players who played in the World Cup had to be rich, or if not rich, noble." "But us, if you saw where we lived, you would cry, you would never accept living there." "You would never live in those conditions." "I think that it was an awakening." "If Cameroon had started as well for the first time, then there would have been problems." "I think that we must pardon the Congo." "It was a team without international experience, without international standards, that fell in the cup of the greats." "But we were the first, we were sacrificial, and we paved the way for the African continent." "In Cameroon, football is a passion, even a religion." "Out of almost 15 million Cameroonians," "Theophile Abega Cameroonian International there are about 13 million footballers." "And you can check." "Everyone, when walking in the street, is wearing shorts under their trousers." "And I am certain that if you went to the palace of the head of state, you would surely find him sometimes juggling a football." "In 1982, of the team that played in the World Cup," "Thomas Nkono Cameroonian International there were eight players from Canon, and of those eight, seven were in the starting line-up." "That shows that for a certain period, in the 1980s, we dominated Cameroonian and African football." "I think we had a very close-knit team, a team of friends." "Roger Milla Cameroonian International and in this first Cameroonian World Cup, we wanted to prove that Cameroon was one of the great countries of the world of football." "We played against Peru, Poland and Italy, and drew with them all." "So the logical next step was that, after qualifying for the African Nations Cup in Abidjan in 1984," "Cameroon would be able to win it." "Luckily, Cameroon qualified for the final, and we beat, as usual, Nigeria, by a score of 3-1." "I was lucky enough to score the decisive goal." "Issa Hayatou CAF President We had proved our strength, so we asked President Havelange to give an extra place for African football." "Well, he didn't do it for 1986, and he didn't do it for 1990." "In 1990, Cameroon went to the World Cup in difficult circumstances." "It was not known whether Roger Milla would be playing." "In the end, it was a decision which went more or less to the president of the republic." "I had decided to retire from international football with Cameroon, although still carry on playing." "Luckily for me, the president insisted, or not just insisted, but gave an order to the Minister for Youth and Sports, that I be part of the national team." "Joseph Antoine Bell acted in bad faith, as he said that I was old." "I could no longer play." "He forgot that he too was old, that there was only two years' difference between Joseph Antoine Bell and me." "Peter Essoka Journalist, Cnmeroon" "I wouldn't call it a revenge match, but it was a very important match for us because the Argentine coach had called us, the Cameroonian footballers, he called us "rabbits"." "And we wanted to show that we were not rabbits, we were true Cameroonians." "Thank God, we played a very good match and beat Argentina." "And I had already told those who doubted that if we beat Argentina, we could get to the second round." "I beat three players before finding myself up against Higuita, whom I beat with my left foot." "I think that it really was a move of brilliance, of greatness, of great players." "At this stage of the competition, we no longer feared anyone." "We could have played Germany, Brazil or Argentina at this stage." "We were confident, we had a big heart, we wanted to prove something." "That moment was a great triggering mechanism for African football because of the performances, Milla's famous dance, and the victories that we had here on the field." "This all allowed African football to be known, to be respected." "We could then convince Havelange, in the circumstances, that there should be an extra place for African football." "It would not have been possible, however much pressure we brought to bear, if the results of the African teams on the field weren't conclusive." "Abedi Pele Ghanaian International" "Nwankwo Kanu Nigerian International" "Danny Jordaan South African FA" "Neil Tovey South African International"