The nation paid a deserved tribute to a meticulous footballer who stoodto be counted when it mattered most to the country; asking not what his country
has done for him, but what he can do for his country.
Abega Mbida Theophile aka
“Docta”, quintessential footballer, politician and former Mayor of Yaounde IV
City Council was buried last Saturday December, 15, 2012. Abega’s passing was a
great national loss; but it was also an occasion for the country to celebrate a
truly great life and a man of virtue. Docta, by wide consensus, was a hallmark
of integrity in service and post-service life. He would be remembered for the
leadership he provided as captain of what arguably is the greatest generation
of the national football team; the Indomitable Lions. Such are the memories of
outstanding men in history.
Cameroon hero, Theophile Abega, dies at 58.
The country lost a true
patriot and a role model in the person of Abega, a foremost footballer and
midfield maestro. His immediate constituency - football, his fans, his friends
and family and the country at large can only take consolation in the iconic
figure’s sterling qualities; and the fact that he lived a most fulfilled life,
in both the public and private circles. Docta, as he was fondly called, was an
inspirational figure to his numerous fans, and would be missed. He died on
November 21, 2012 aged 58.
The death of Abega, one of
Cameroon’s finest footballers, at a time the national football team is
contending with a sharp decline in stock of players of excellent disposition,
is a strong decimation of role models. That he would be sorely missed was
captured in the outpouring of eulogies paid to his glowing life by Cameroonians
across the board. His life is worthy of emulation by the younger generation who
long for positive engagement in life.
His family, friends and the
entire nation should be proud of his acclaimed virtues. Docta, by natural
inclination, had time for everybody who came his way, status notwithstanding.
In a society where craze for titles is order of the day, he remained simply
Docta until his last days. That was a mark of his modesty and simplicity. Docta
exhibited urbane, civil and ethical dispositions – never found wanting in his
public duty as Mayor. He was non-tribal in disposition and he loathed
corruption.
Docta Abega against Nigeria, in Cameroon's first Nations Cup victory in 1984.
Abega was one of the most
elegant midfielders in Cameroon football history. He was blessed with wonderful
skills, vision and seemed to have so many options when he was on the ball. His
style was majestic, showing commanding control of the ball, calmness of nerves
in rounding up midfielders and defenders. He was able to play the ball wherever
and whenever he wanted. The colorful and talented ball juggler was a playmaker
of the finest caliber,with superb “killer” defence-splitting passes. He liked
to run at defences, was fast; with a magnificent left foot shot. He became
famous for his unexpected long distance strikes, scoring goals even against the
run of play.
Abega followed the prototype
of the strong, athletic and tactically knowledgeable footballer. In his
trademark Number 14 jersey, Abega’s play style evoked comparisons with
Brazilian legend, Socrates, earning him the nickname “Docta.” Pulsating action,
speed and skill in perfect harmony, almost but not quite arrogance on display;
all the things any soccer fan could wish for, is what endeared Docta to
millions of fans across the globe. Abega captained the Indomitable Lions’ 1984
African Cup of Nations winning team. He scored three times in that tournament,
one of them being a fantastic goal in the finals against Nigeria when he
concluded a solo run from midfield with a give-and-go combination with Milla up
front before slotting home the second of Cameroon’s three goals, that gave the
Lions their first African Nations Cup title.
At club level, he played most
of his career for Canon (1974-84) and had a short spell with French club
Toulouse before moving to Switzerland where he played for Vervey Sports for two
seasons (1985-87).
Abega never quite unleashed
his true potential at club level abroad. During his illustrious career, he
showed a unique style of play for club and country. He was part of the 1984
African Nations winning squad. His devastating bursts of speed combined with
lethal shooting were one of the hallmarks of the Canon Dream Team that
conquered Africa, winning three straight continental titles: African Club
Champions Cup (1978); African Club Winners Cup (1979); African Club Champions
Cup (1980). Abega also won five domestic league and five cup titles. Abega was
adored by the fans unconditionally, and crowd turnouts to watch him were
phenomenal. His footballing career is what legends are made of.
The African Player of the Year
award in 1984 was the crowning glory in an illustrious career. Abega took a hit
during the 1986 African Nations Cup and struggled with injuries that culminated
with the winding down of a great career. He returned to Canon briefly, but time
was no longer on his side. He struggled with injury problems on the field and
retired from the game, a proud and accomplished man; with his footprints
solidly in the annals of history. The challenge of sports scientist is to break
down the intricate skills of Docta in order to teach the fundamentals to
present and future generations.
Docta had a volcanic temper on
and off the pitch, which once saw him assault a referee, but that took nothing
from his game. He ended his playing career and became Managing Director of
Canon, from where he stepped down to begin a career in politics. When Abega
stepped down after defeating then incumbent Nicolas Amougou Noma in the CPDM
parliamentary election primaries, it was the beginning of a political career
defined by a singular ambivalence about his own ambition that culminated in his
election as Mayor of Yaoundé IV City Council.
Everything that has a
beginning must have an end, and so, the curtains were officially drawn on the
life and illustrious footballing career of Theophile Abega Mbida. Perhaps to
underscore the extent of his pedigree, the nation paid him a deserved tribute
with an official funeral. Abega, known by his very close confidantes as
“Ebangara” was no stranger to controversy.His was a life of effusive
participation in partisan politics.In the precarious dynamics of dog-eat-dog
CPDM politics, the first place to bear the brunt of mudslinging was his
identityand character with endless rumors about his unsteady matrimonial disposition
and clan wars with political opponents who conspired to undo him.But he rode
the storm.
An unapologetic CPDM militant,
he maintained a formidable political powerbase nurtured over time from
carefully cultivated adroitness, utmost grassroots loyalty and unrivalled
philanthropy.He will not only be remembered in terms of his footballing
prowess, and the accolades he won for his country, club, and himself. It can
only be to Abega’s credit that he chose to devote his post-football career to
public service; asking not what his country has done for him, but what he can
do for his country. Abega is celebrated in death because of his numerous
attributes on and off the field of play. His life is a lesson to Cameroonians
that the good a man does lives after him. Adieu Docta.
*Ekinneh Agbaw-Ebai is a public
intellectual and graduate of Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of
Government where he was Managing Editor of the Harvard Journal of
African-American Public Policy. A former Research Analyst for Central Africa
with Freedom House, he is a consultant and lives in Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Talk back at ekinneh@yahoo.com.
