George Aluo, Cairo
Indomitable Lions of Cameroon handler, Clarence Seedorf has rated African football very high after his first Nations Cup outing here in Egypt.
Seedorf, unfortunately failed to take Cameroon, the defending champions of the tournament far as his wards crashed out in the round of 16 to the Super Eagles of Nigeria in a five-goal thriller decided at the Alexandria Stadium.
Odion Ighalo scored two goals and set up Alex Iwobi for the winner as Nigeria rallied from 2-1 down after Cameroon had struck twice in quick succession through Stephane Bahoken and Clinton Njie before-half time.
Moments after the loss to Nigeria, Seedorf at the post match press conference said he had since taking over the Lions in August last year enjoyed his stay in Africa, even as he added that from what he saw in Egypt, African football is on the rise.
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“I’ve enjoyed every minute I’ve been working with this group (the Indomitable Lions), being in Africa especially,” Seedorf said.
The former AC Milan midfielder stated that his side did not deserve to crash out so early in Egypt, given the hard work they put in before the tournament.
“The first thing is I’m very sorry for the boys. They have worked really hard and played well but this is football and only one can win in the end. The fact is that it is unfortunate we had to meet the Super Eagles at the round of 16 and one of the two solid sides in the tournament had to go home. My boys made a few mistakes in the second half and got punished and as I said, in this game a side must emerge a winner.”
Seedorf who appeared unruffled about his future said he was not going to lose sleep over whatever decision his employers, the Cameroonian FA, FECAFOOT, would take on his contract.
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“What happens after this loss to Nigeria is not so important…My future is not so important. The important thing is what we have built until now, we’ve improved in many aspects on and off the pitch. My team is a group that is very united. I hope the people at home can be proud of the fighting spirit we’ve shown. Obviously the disappointment is really big but this is sport. This is the moment where everyone must say we are united and continue to work for the future.”
“For me, the important thing is to stay united and not throw away all the great work the team has done in the last months.”
It would be noted that the former Dutch star has won just three of the nine competitive games since taking over the Indomitable Lions alongside assistant Patrick Kluivert last August, and struggled to convince he is the right man for the job.
