Jeanne Marie Abou’ou juxtaposed her picture the Embolo’s muted response to scoring the goal
* My son, there’s nothing to reproach you for. We are confronted today with our own contradictions
* We must rather question the way in which we manage our talents in Cameroon and in Africa
* This gesture which has caused chills all over today, including yourself the scorer, challenges us
* Because it is when you saw the ball in the back of the net that you realized the seriousness of your gesture
By Duncan Mlanjira
Breel Embolo was vilified and scorned by Cameroonians after he became the first player in FIFA World Cup history to score a goal for his adopted country against his country of birth, when his lone goal saw Switzerland beat Cameroon in Qatar on Wednesday.
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He was born on February 14, 1997 in the Cameroonian capital Yaoundé and that his parents separated when he was very young.
When he was five or six years old, his mother moved to France to attend school and whilst there she met her future husband, a Swiss national and the young Breel received Swiss citizenship on December 12, 2014.
According to standard.media.co.ke, the crowd waited and watched for Embolo’s reaction after he scored his 12th goal for Switzerland in the 48th-minute off a low pass from Xherdan Shaqiri.
He stood still in the goalmouth and first held his arms out wide, then raised his hands in a gesture of apology. He put his hands over his month as if realizing how profound the moment was as his Swiss teammates rushed toward him near the penalty spot.
Embolo then pointed toward the Swiss fans behind the goal where he had scored, and then to the Cameroon fans at the opposite corner of Al Janoub Stadium.
In his reaction, coach Rigobert Song, who played in four World Cups for his home country, told the media after the match: “I would have liked him to be on my side, but that’s not the way it went.”
But Cameroonian, Jeanne Marie Abou’ou — who resides in Yaounde has reacted to the ongoing fuss about Embolo scoring against his country of origin.
She wrote on social media: “My son, there’s nothing to reproach you for. We are confronted today with our own contradictions. We must rather question the way in which we manage our talents in Cameroon and in Africa.
“This gesture which has caused chills all over today, including yourself the scorer, challenges us, because it is when you saw the ball in the back of the net that you realized the seriousness of your gesture.
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“You are a victim of the underworld who took charge, hostage of the football system in Cameroon — that rejects and humiliates talents in Cameroon.
“Tomorrow it will be Mbappe, if we meet France or several other Cameroonians in foreign teams. Why are talents rejected and fought against in Cameroon instead of being groomed?
“How many Cameroonians rejected by their country are bringing glory to other nations in various fields, not only football, they are very numerous.
“The best medical doctors, engineers etc, are rejected while the mediocre are adored. We make icons without intelligence or talent or morality, we impose them on society, this is the result.
“What happened with your goal against your native land is the cliché of all sectors in Cameroon. One day Cameroon will be attacked by a foreign army headed by a Cameroonian if things continue like this.
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“Intelligence will continue to be valued elsewhere and we will use them against Cameroon like Switzerland your country of nationality has done today, my boy.
“Today, you bear the burden of a dysfunction in your domain for which you are not responsible. We pray to God that the President of FECAFOOT, this worthy son of Africa, fights in such an intense way this same mediocrity in his country.
“May you have the strength to do everything so that a son of the country no longer finds himself so unhappy and disgusted at having played his role like you today.
“I saw the sadness in your eyes, you were in pain when you only played your role. God spoke to Cameroon through you — it’s up to us to understand.”
After working his way through their junior teams, Embolo made his professional debut for Basel in March 2014, and won the Swiss Super League in all three of his first seasons before moving to Schalke 04 for an initial €20 million.
Shortly after moving to the Bundesliga, he suffered an ankle injury that ruled him out for nearly a year. He then made his senior international debut in March 2015 and represented Switzerland at UEFA Euro 2016, the 2018 FIFA World Cup and now Qatar 2022 edition.
Another player trending well in Qatar for scoring for his adopted country, is 22-year-old Timothy Tarpeh Weah — son to former professional soccer player, Ballon d’Or winner and President of Liberia, George Weah.
Timothy scored the all-important goal for USA in the 1-1 draw on Monday and it was notable for two reasons — it was USA’s first in World Cup play since 2014 and it came in front of his celebrated father, George, the 1995 Ballon d’Or winner, who never played on this biggest football stage.
“It’s an amazing feeling,” he is quoted as saying by ABC’s Good Morning America on Thursday. “I mean, you know, when he was playing he didn’t get the opportunity to take his country to a World Cup and now his son is here doing the best I can, so I know he’s proud.
“My dad and mom are going crazy in the stadium. I saw them when I scored. I know they’re proud of me and, you know, I just want to make them proud out here and continue to do well.”
Timothy’s mother, Liberia’s First Lady Clar Marie, is Jamaican-born and they were seen dining together in Qatar this week.
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