By Etienne Mainimo Mengnjo,

The world governing body, FIFA, has extended the mandate of the Normalisation Committee at the helm of the Cameroon Football Federation, FECAFOOT, for the second time.

According to a communique forward to the FIFA and signed by the Secretary General, Fatima Samoura, the Normalisation Committee’s mandate headed by Barrister Duiedonne Happi will end on December 16, 2018.

It is the second time after the second mandate that was due to end on February 28, 2018 was postponed to ending on August 31 with an elective executive taking over the management of FECAFOOT affairs.

Following the communique that was send to FECAFOOT, the mandate of the Normalisation Committee was extended following a letter that was send to FIFA by Pierre Ismael Bidoung Mkpatt, Minister of Sports and Physical Education, indicating that the electoral procedures of FECAFOOT coincides with the operations of the Presidential elections in Cameroon.

Going by the letter send to FIFA dated August 28, the Minister further said, organising elections of FECAFOOT at that particular time will not be the best thing there might be interference.

In order to avoid the consequences that may come FECAFOOT elections are organized at the time, FIFA decided to extend the mandate so as to give the Normalization Committee enough time to adopt the texts and organized fresh elections into the country’s football house before December 16.

Before extending the mandate of the committee, FIFA had saluted the country’s parliament for adopting a new law on sports that was later promulgated by the Head State, stating that the adoption constitute an important step in the adoption of new FECAFOOT status.

However, sport lovers have received the extension of the mandate of the committee with mixed feelings. While other say it was necessary, some say the reason given for the extension is weak and therefore has no substance. To them saying that the election into FECAFOOT coincide with the activities for the upcoming Presidential elections has no meaning.

“I am not surprised with the extension, but I am really shock with the reason given as to why the mandate has been pushed forward. If things were done properly in relation the calendar that was put up by Barrister Duiedonne Happi, we would have had elections executive before August 31 but the silence from committee and Ministry of sport was a clear indication that something fishing was happening,” a Yaounde city dweller said.

To a sport lover, “we can never progress if we keep going this way. First, it was that the laws that needed to be change and today it is presidential election, who knows what the next reason will be when December comes. Let us not continue to deceive ourselves.”

However, Peter Lo said, “other countries had this committee and they manage the things and went between three and six months, why must the case in Cameroon be different. Is it because there is money?”

It is worth noting that in 2013, the first committee headed by Prof. Joseph Owona was put in place to run FECAFOOT affairs, adopt texts, status and orgainsed elections into the football house. After several extensions, the committee succeeded after two years organized elections but there will declared null and void in 2017 leading to the current committee.

While the drama unfolds, sport pundits are of the opinion that the saga is far from coming to an end given that when anybody gets into FECAFOOT, he does not want to leave.