“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 The request is on a desk at Panthere du Nde, and it is not being withdrawn.
Panthere du Nde have gone to Victoria United with a bid, and the supporters have gone to the internet with an opinion about it. Whether either changes anything is up to the selling club.
Mohamed Moluh Mounta 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.
Panthere du Nde offered $75.0K; Dynamo Douala said it was not close. The manager will be told the money is still there for the right player, which is what managers are told.
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.
It is never announced and it is entirely visible: the biggest afternoons of the season keep containing him. A press box works this out long before anybody at the club confirms a word of it.
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Gildas Wamaka will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Panthere du Nde the goodbyes have quietly begun.
A medical, a signature, a shirt held up in front of a sponsor’s board. Panthere du Nde have done the hard part with Aigle Royal de la Menoua, and the part that remains is the part supporters actually see.
Panthere du Nde have gone to Dynamo Douala with a bid, and the supporters have gone to the internet with an opinion about it. Whether either changes anything is up to the selling club.
It happens to all of them and it is still the hardest paragraph a local paper has to write. 33 years old, 3 points down on where he was, and a body that has started charging interest on a career.
A loan enquiry to Cotonsport Garoua: cover, or a look at somebody the club cannot afford to buy yet. Either way the answer will come back inside the week.
Nobody at Panthere du Nde will say this on the record and the team sheets have been saying it for weeks. There is a small group in every squad who get picked when the fixture is difficult, and he has joined it.
In brief
The dugoutConstant Sanga asks for a word with the manager
MarketThe clock does Gildas Wamaka’s negotiating for him
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Constant Sanga will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Panthere du Nde the goodbyes have quietly begun.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Panthere du Nde can pretend not to have heard.
Cotonsport Garoua have accepted the money. What Panthere du Nde do not yet have is the man, and between here and the photograph is a conversation about wages that both sides are dreading.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Panthere du Nde this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
The name of David Ogbe Apeh has come up in conversations Panthere du Nde were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.
“The easiest signature of my career.” Georges Mbarga Atedzoe and Panthere du Nde agree another 4 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Jefter Arrey 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.
He is doing things on a Saturday afternoon that nobody around him can answer, which is flattering for about one season and a problem after that. Panthere du Nde will not keep him by pretending otherwise.
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Panthere du Nde is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Panthere du Nde can pretend not to have heard.
Everything agreed with Cotonsport Garoua, everything agreed with the player; a doctor is the only person left to persuade. The photograph is a day or two away.
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.
Panthere du Nde have made the call to Unisport Bafang. No fee, a share of the wages, and a spare shirt in the position where the squad has been thinnest all season.
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Mohamed Moluh Mounta trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
In brief
The dugoutLandry Yotchou has become a man the manager trusts
The dugoutThe manager makes an example of Hugo Rauch
20 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Panthere du Nde lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Panthere du Nde they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Panthere du Nde this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
The name of David Ogbe Apeh has come up in conversations Panthere du Nde were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Cotonsport Garoua have kept their man, and Panthere du Nde go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Kenny Kima Beyissa was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Cotonsport Garoua 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.
39 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Panthere du Nde lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Panthere du Nde is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Mohamed Moluh Mounta 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.
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Kenny Kima Beyissa 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 words a physio says slowly. 67 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Constant Sanga will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Panthere du Nde the goodbyes have quietly begun.
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Panthere du Nde have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
“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 Panthere du Nde, and it is not being withdrawn.
Mohamed Moluh Mounta 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.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Georges Mbarga Atedzoe was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Nobody at Panthere du Nde will say this on the record and the team sheets have been saying it for weeks. There is a small group in every squad who get picked when the fixture is difficult, and he has joined it.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Panthere du Nde, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Centre-halves are allowed forward twice a season and are judged on what they do when they get there. Joseph Elie Tiba scored, was marked 7.57, and got back before anybody noticed he had gone.
Boardroom5 Feb 2029
Deadline passes with 2 signed and 2 gone
That is the business done at Panthere du Nde until the window opens again. Whether it was enough will be answered on Saturdays rather than in a column, and the first Saturday is close.
There is no worse way to lose a footballer. Gildas Wamaka has pre-agreed a move away, which means every appearance between now and June is made by a man the club can no longer sell, and somebody upstairs will be asked why the contract was allowed to get here.
Add another name to the list: Fauve Azur Elite have asked the question everybody in the game has been asking about David Ogbe Apeh. The answer from Panthere du Nde has not changed — yet.
There is a particular warmth a ground reserves for a 23-year-old it feels ownership of. Joseph Elie Tiba 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.
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Constant Sanga will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Panthere du Nde the goodbyes have quietly begun.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Panthere du Nde can pretend not to have heard.
Panthere du Nde and Dynamo Douala have settled on $65.0K. The rest belongs to the player and his agent, and a supporter who has watched one of these before knows not to buy the shirt yet.
Everything agreed with Cotonsport Garoua, everything agreed with the player; a doctor is the only person left to persuade. The photograph is a day or two away.
Mohamed Moluh Mounta 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.
Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Moses Chima. 1‑0 against Aigle Royal de Moungo, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Panthere du Nde can pretend not to have heard.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Panthere du Nde this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Add another name to the list: Dynamo Douala have asked the question everybody in the game has been asking about David Ogbe Apeh. The answer from Panthere du Nde has not changed — yet.
“The supporters are entitled to be angry. So am I. We will put it right.” 0‑2, a manager saying the necessary things, and a dressing room that heard a different version of them.
A loan enquiry to Cotonsport Garoua: cover, or a look at somebody the club cannot afford to buy yet. Either way the answer will come back inside the week.
23 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. Panthere du Nde lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
“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 Panthere du Nde, and it is not being withdrawn.
A medical, a signature, a shirt held up in front of a sponsor’s board. Panthere du Nde have done the hard part with Canon Yaounde, and the part that remains is the part supporters actually see.
Mohamed Moluh Mounta 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.
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.
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Kenny Kima Beyissa and Panthere du Nde agree another 3 years.
The dugout10 Jul 2028
The manager has not finished forgetting Gildas Wamaka's mistake
Publicly it is behind everybody. It is not behind the man who picks the team, and the only place that shows is a team sheet. He will get another chance; he will get it in a match that matters less.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Panthere du Nde this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Cyrien Saha Bikim 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.
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.
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Marc Onguene trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Panthere du Nde this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Eva Bienvenu trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
“I will know when it is time. I am not there yet.” Eva Bienvenu is 35, with 187 appearances behind him, and Panthere du Nde will have to plan for whichever answer comes.
Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason Panthere du Nde will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.
Fortuna Mfou will want this one forgotten quickly: 4‑1, every duel lost, and a long ride home. Panthere du Nde were ruthless in the way good sides are ruthless.
Position 4 on 42 points. Every season is a story and this is the last line of it, and now the club has three months to decide what the next one is about.
There is a particular kind of quiet from an away end watching one man score twice. David Ogbe Apeh provided it, and the 8.03 beside his name is if anything generous to everybody else.
5 wins on the spin now, and the question has changed from whether the run ends to who ends it. Confidence like this cannot be bought; it has to be earned exactly this way.
“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 Panthere du Nde, and it is not being withdrawn.
Involvement in 2 goals, from a player who spent the ninety minutes doing the thing a manager actually wants: being where the ball was going to end up. 7.67 beside his name.
Mohamed Moluh Mounta 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.
He is 23 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.
A bone, which is the one injury with a calendar attached. Panthere du Nde will name a return date and, unusually for this business, will probably be right about it.
The medical room confirms 32 days on the sidelines for Roger Emga, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Squad27 Dec 2027
Gildas Wamaka 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.
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.
“It is not the end of the world and it is not good enough. Both of those are true.” The manager, after a 0‑0 draw, said the honest thing and then went to say it again inside.
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Moses Chima trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
François Fegue Omgba 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.
Squad15 Nov 2027
Roger Emga 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.
Nobody at Panthere du Nde will say this on the record and the team sheets have been saying it for weeks. There is a small group in every squad who get picked when the fixture is difficult, and he has joined it.
“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at Panthere du Nde has been clear about where Jacques Jean Pondi stands, which is more than many ever get.
“I did not come here to warm up in front of people.” He is out of contract eventually, he is old enough to count the weeks, and Panthere du Nde will have to give him a reason to stay or an exit.
He trains hard, says the right things and goes home to an empty flat. Nobody at Panthere du Nde has done anything wrong, which is exactly what makes it so difficult to fix.