Marked for Herman Tchakounte
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Player ratings21 Feb 2028
No sign of nerves from Nathan Doualla at 21 — 7.91
The hardest thing about being 21 in a senior side is that nobody makes allowances. Nathan Doualla did not need any: 7.91, and he looked the most comfortable man on the pitch.
Market21 Feb 2028
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Canon Yaounde they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Match19 Feb 2028
Nobody wants to play Canon Yaounde right now
3 wins in a row changes how opponents warm up: quieter, more glances across. Runs end, everybody knows that — but nobody in this dressing room is planning for it.
Squad21 Feb 2028
Words at Canon Yaounde training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Nouhou Cissé is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
The terraces21 Feb 2028
There is a particular warmth a ground reserves for a 21-year-old it feels ownership of. Nathan Doualla has it now, and everything he does for the rest of his time here will be measured against the goodwill he was handed for free.
Player ratings21 Feb 2028
Successful dribbles: 17. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad21 Feb 2028
Thorgan Essiane was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
The dugout21 Feb 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Paulin Banda Nkounou, and the manager let it.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Squad4 Oct 2027
132 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Canon Yaounde lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
Match2 Oct 2027
The 89th minute, half the ground already edging towards the exits, and Nathan Doualla decided nobody was going anywhere. Colombe du Dja et Lobo had no time left to answer.
Player ratings4 Oct 2027
No sign of nerves from Nathan Doualla at 21 — 7.85
The hardest thing about being 21 in a senior side is that nobody makes allowances. Nathan Doualla did not need any: 7.85, and he looked the most comfortable man on the pitch.
Squad4 Oct 2027
Junior Dande and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Squad4 Oct 2027
Sabo Gambo falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Loan watch4 Oct 2027
“I watch every Canon Yaounde game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at Fortuna Mfou runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.
The terraces4 Oct 2027
At 22 he is being sung about by people twice his age, which is an affection a signing has to earn over years and a local kid gets for turning up. It is also the hardest thing in football to live up to.
The dugout4 Oct 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Christian Dawariomi, and the manager let it.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market8 Mar 2027
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Canon Yaounde, and it is not being withdrawn.
Market8 Mar 2027
Évrard Beyong has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Canon Yaounde they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad8 Mar 2027
Junior Dande and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad8 Mar 2027
Words at Canon Yaounde training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Martin Ako Assomo is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
The dugout8 Mar 2027
The manager makes an example of Joël Paten
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Squad8 Mar 2027
Sabo Gambo named in the team of the month
A month is long enough that nobody gets in by accident. Sabo Gambo is in the division's best eleven for it, which is a quieter compliment than an award and a more reliable one.
The dugout8 Mar 2027
Clubs make promises constantly and the page usually only hears about them when they are broken. This one was honoured, and the dressing room noticed that faster than any supporter did.
Squad8 Mar 2027
Sabo Gambo still has not settled
A year in and the language has not come, the city has not opened up, and he eats alone more often than anybody at Canon Yaounde would like to admit. It is showing on Saturdays.
Market8 Mar 2027
The Junior Dande story refuses to die
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Junior Dande signs something — a contract at Canon Yaounde or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market18 Jan 2027
Fee agreed, wages agreed, and Fortuna Mfou waiting with a shirt. Nobody at Canon Yaounde is pretending otherwise, and the supporters have stopped asking whether and started asking when.
Player ratings18 Jan 2027
Successful dribbles: 29. He went past people as if he had been told there was a prize for it, and by the end the full-back had stopped pretending to try.
Market18 Jan 2027
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Canon Yaounde, and it is not being withdrawn.
Transfer targets18 Jan 2027
Canon Yaounde had done everything except persuade the man himself. He stays at Ashanti Gold, and the manager goes back to the drawing board with the money still in the bank.
The dugout18 Jan 2027
news_b_frozen_out_of_the_side
Squad18 Jan 2027
Junior Dande in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Canon Yaounde this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad18 Jan 2027
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Sabo Gambo was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Transfer targets18 Jan 2027
The approach was made and the answer came back in a sentence. There is no number on the table because there was no number that would have been enough.
Transfer targets18 Jan 2027
Stade Malien have been asked whether they would lend him. Loans are agreed quickly or not at all, and this one will be one or the other by the weekend.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Player ratings16 Nov 2026
Successful dribbles: 30. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Market16 Nov 2026
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Canon Yaounde is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad16 Nov 2026
Zacharie Ndongo Foé was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad16 Nov 2026
Words at Canon Yaounde training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Sabo Gambo is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Squad16 Nov 2026
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Michel Embolo and Canon Yaounde agree another 3 years.
The dugout16 Nov 2026
“A point is a point and I will take it, but we should have had all three.” Joel Moukoudi after the 0‑0 draw, and the sentence every manager in the country said at some stage this weekend.
Looking ahead16 Nov 2026
Cotonsport Garoua top the table and they are coming into view. Nothing to lose, which is what every manager says before losing.
The dugout16 Nov 2026
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Match14 Nov 2026
Nil-nil, and few chances worth the name. Unisport Bafang came to defend and left with exactly what they came for.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market2 Nov 2026
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Canon Yaounde, and it is not being withdrawn.
Player ratings2 Nov 2026
Sabo Gambo beats them one at a time
Successful dribbles: 28. There was always a defender in front of him and there was never a defender in front of him for long.
Match31 Oct 2026
6 matches without a win for Canon Yaounde
The run now stands at 6, and the questions being asked around Canon Yaounde are no longer polite ones.
Match31 Oct 2026
5 games without scoring. Strikers stop looking up, midfielders take the extra touch, and every shot that clears the bar is followed by a groan that has been building since the last goal.
Market2 Nov 2026
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Canon Yaounde they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad2 Nov 2026
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Martin Ako Assomo was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Loan watch2 Nov 2026
“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Canon Yaounde, and 3 appearances in 12 say he has earned the hearing.
Squad2 Nov 2026
The demotion a club never announces and a dressing room always notices. Herman Tchakounte is further from the side than he was, and the reason will not be given until he asks.
The dugout2 Nov 2026
Half-satisfied: Joel Moukoudi on the draw
“There are things I liked and things we will be doing on Tuesday until they are right.” 0‑0, and a manager who had already decided what Tuesday looked like.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match24 Oct 2026
5 matches without a win for Canon Yaounde
The run now stands at 5, and the questions being asked around Canon Yaounde are no longer polite ones.
Market26 Oct 2026
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Canon Yaounde they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Player ratings26 Oct 2026
Successful dribbles: 23. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Match24 Oct 2026
4 matches, no goals, and a training ground that has tried everything. It will end — droughts always do — but nobody at Canon Yaounde can tell you which week it ends in.
Squad26 Oct 2026
Junior Dande in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Canon Yaounde this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad26 Oct 2026
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Sabo Gambo was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The dugout26 Oct 2026
The manager makes an example of Joël Paten
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
The dugout26 Oct 2026
The view from the dugout
“We did not lose. Some weeks that is all you get, and I would rather have the point than not.” Joel Moukoudi chose the glass-half-full version of 0‑0; the supporters left with the other one.
The dugout26 Oct 2026
The one version of being left out a player cannot argue with, and the one he takes worst. Somebody else has been better and the team sheet says so, in public, every week until it changes.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market19 Oct 2026
Évrard Beyong has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Canon Yaounde they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Player ratings19 Oct 2026
Successful dribbles: 25. He went past people as if he had been told there was a prize for it, and by the end the full-back had stopped pretending to try.
Squad19 Oct 2026
At 22 he is doing things this season that he could not do last season, and doing them every week. Form comes and goes; this has stayed long enough to be called something else.
Match17 Oct 2026
4 matches without a win for Canon Yaounde
The run now stands at 4, and the questions being asked around Canon Yaounde are no longer polite ones.
Squad19 Oct 2026
Junior Dande and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Match17 Oct 2026
3 matches, no goals, and a training ground that has tried everything. It will end — droughts always do — but nobody at Canon Yaounde can tell you which week it ends in.
Squad19 Oct 2026
Words at Canon Yaounde training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Martin Ako Assomo is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
The dugout19 Oct 2026
Joël Bakanda gets it from the manager
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
The dugout19 Oct 2026
The manager’s verdict
“I am frustrated, honestly. We did enough to win and we did not win.” Joel Moukoudi was not hiding it after 0‑0, and nobody in the Canon Yaounde dressing room was either.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market12 Oct 2026
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Canon Yaounde is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad12 Oct 2026
Form comes and goes; this has not gone. Alain Bikoe Mongo is 20, and the version of him training now would not have got into the side he was in a year ago.
Squad12 Oct 2026
Junior Dande and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Squad12 Oct 2026
Martin Ako Assomo falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Match10 Oct 2026
Beaten 0‑2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
The dugout12 Oct 2026
The manager makes an example of Junior Dande
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Player ratings12 Oct 2026
Successful dribbles: 17. He went past people as if he had been told there was a prize for it, and by the end the full-back had stopped pretending to try.
Loan watch12 Oct 2026
“I did not go to Victoria United to sit and watch. I want to come back to Canon Yaounde and fight for my place.” 3 appearances in 9 matches say the rest.
The dugout12 Oct 2026
“I could talk about decisions and I could talk about luck. I will not. We lost.” The manager, 0‑2, and a press conference that lasted four minutes.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Player ratings28 Sep 2026
Successful dribbles: 25. There was always a defender in front of him and there was never a defender in front of him for long.
Market28 Sep 2026
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Canon Yaounde they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad28 Sep 2026
Zacharie Ndongo Foé and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Squad28 Sep 2026
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Martin Ako Assomo was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Player ratings28 Sep 2026
The afternoon belonged to Juste Koulou
A mark of 7.89, and nobody in the ground would argue with it. He was involved in everything that mattered and most of what did not.
Market28 Sep 2026
“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at Canon Yaounde has been clear about where Wilfried Bilongo stands, which is more than many ever get.
Match26 Sep 2026
1‑1, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.
The dugout28 Sep 2026
“It is not the end of the world and it is not good enough. Both of those are true.” The manager, after a 1‑1 draw, said the honest thing and then went to say it again inside.
The dugout28 Sep 2026
The one version of being left out a player cannot argue with, and the one he takes worst. Somebody else has been better and the team sheet says so, in public, every week until it changes.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Player ratings14 Sep 2026
1 on the scoresheet on his first appearance and a mark of 8.08 beside it. Most debuts are got through; this one was enjoyed, by him and by everybody watching it.
Player ratings14 Sep 2026
Successful dribbles: 30. He went past people as if he had been told there was a prize for it, and by the end the full-back had stopped pretending to try.
Market14 Sep 2026
Zacharie Ebogo has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Canon Yaounde they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Transfer targets14 Sep 2026
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Stade Malien have kept their man, and Canon Yaounde go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
Squad14 Sep 2026
Words at Canon Yaounde training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Sabo Gambo is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
The terraces14 Sep 2026
He is 20 and the ground already sings his name, which is a thing that happens to local boys and almost never to signings. Everything from here is measured against an affection he did nothing to earn except be from here.
Player ratings14 Sep 2026
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.15, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Loan watch14 Sep 2026
“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Canon Yaounde, and 0 appearances in 5 say he has earned the hearing.