Football: The 11 Commandments of Rigobert Song

When the good Lord handed down the Decalogue to Moses atop Mount Sinai, he limited himself to just the ten commandments. The new boss of Cameroon’s national football team, Rigobert Song, is obviously more demanding.

Song met up with his team in Guinea-Bissau this week, and made them all sign up to a rousing 11-point “sermon”. Here is the English version, courtesy of the BBC:

  • The Cameroon national team is sacred, serving it is my only goal
  • The green-red-yellow is sacred, I shall wear it in every stadium, honour and defend it
  • Playing for my country is an honour, with loyalty, fidelity and courage I shall represent it
  • Each match and each selection is goodness shared with my people, my public and mates
  • With my team-mates I shall be strong, with friendship and solidarity my watchword
  • Respect for elders is a principle, from them I inherit this jersey, illustrious they handed it to me and glorious I will pass it on
  • I shall communicate with my coaches, comrades and officials, dialogue shall remain my strength
  • No matter the time and place, player or substitute I shall serve with enthusiasm and professionalism
  • I shall give my best in the field, I shall be humble and hold my head high
  • From North to South, East to West, I shall be a model for the youths of Cameroon and Africa
  • Indomitable I am, indomitable I shall remain

Blimey. Truth be told, it would be nice if Cameroon’s Lions were a bit less domitable than they’ve been of late. Despite having many of Africa’s most gifted players, including Rigobert’s Arsenal-based cousin Alex, and of course the world’s highest-paid footballer and timepiece obsessive Samuel Eto’o (who at one point was banned for an astonishing 15 matches) Cameroon have been all over the place since former French boss Paul Le Guen’s strife-riven spell in charge.

Maybe the Nigerians should try something similar?

Further Reading

On Safari

On our year-end publishing break, we reflect on how 2024’s contradictions reveal a fractured world grappling with inequality, digital activism, and the blurred lines between action and spectacle.

Rebuilding Algeria’s oceans

Grassroots activists and marine scientists in Algeria are building artificial reefs to restore biodiversity and sustain fishing communities, but scaling up requires more than passion—it needs institutional support and political will.

Ibaaku’s space race

Through Afro-futurist soundscapes blending tradition and innovation, Ibaaku’s new album, ‘Joola Jazz,’ reshapes Dakar’s cultural rhythm and challenges the legacy of Négritude.

An allegiance to abusers

This weekend, Chris Brown will perform two sold-out concerts in South Africa. His relationship to the country reveals the twisted dynamic between a black American artist with a track record of violence and a country happy to receive him.

Shell’s exit scam

Shell’s so-called divestment from Nigeria’s Niger Delta is a calculated move to evade accountability, leaving behind both environmental and economic devastation.

Africa’s sibling rivalry

Nigeria and South Africa have a fraught relationship marked by xenophobia, economic competition, and cultural exchange. The Nigerian Scam are joined by Khanya Mtshali to discuss the dynamics shaping these tensions on the AIAC podcast.

The price of power

Ghana’s election has brought another handover between the country’s two main parties. Yet behind the scenes lies a flawed system where wealth can buy political office.

Beats of defiance

From the streets of Khartoum to exile abroad, Sudanese hip-hop artists have turned music into a powerful tool for protest, resilience, and the preservation of collective memory.