The Samba Boys Are MTN Elite One Champions

This team is located in the South West Province of the Republic of Cameroon,in a small town called Tiko.What they have just accomplished is pretty amazing considering all the odds that are against the team.They are mainly supported by the local population and they just moved into the top division last year.During their rookie campaign they started out pretty well and were second to Cotonsport of Garoua on the league table during the first part of the competition before fading out during the second part of the competition.

This year when the competition started everybody was looking for Cotonsport of Garoua to continue their domination of the league championship.Something that they have done for the past six years running.Tiko United though took everybody by surprise during the first part of the campaign by edging out Union Sportive of Douala on goal difference to top the league with 26points. There was a key decision though that went in favor of Tiko United when the Cameroonian Football governing body (Fecafoot)reversed a one nil decision against Aigle of Menoua allowing the team to get on equal points with Union of Douala.Aigle of Menoua had fielded an ineligible player during a match that they won by one goal to zero.

The team lost just one match out of a total of 13 matches during the first half of the campaign to Panthere of Bangante by one goal to nil.They gave Panthere their payback on the fifth day of play during the second half of the competition by one goal to nil. There were some key victories during the competition,including a one nil defeat of Astre of Douala in the newly renovated reunification stadium on the fourth day of play of the second half of the competition. On match day 19 they went to Bafang and defeated Unisport by one goal to nil.

I watched the team play a number of games during the first half of the campaign at their local ground, a place called Towngreen.They defeated Danay FC of Yagoua by two goals to one and Canon of Yaounde by a come from behind three goals to two thriller. The team is built on a very solid defense and pulled out quite a few one nil victories in the run up to the championship crown. By winning the Mtn elite one championship they become the first team from the Anglophone part of the country to do so in the history of Cameroonian football. So this is indeed a very big deal.

Some of their results during the second half of the competition included a 0-0 tie with Aigle of Dschang,a 3-1 defeated of first half rival Union Sportive of Douala that saw them move 10 points clear of rival Cotonsport of Garoua with just five more games to go to the end of the championship.They tied last place team Danay FC of Yagoua 0-0 on the twenty second playing day of the season in Maroua. At this point of the competition, everybody was already crowning them champions but there was still a mathematical chance left for rival Cotonsports of Garoua.On match day 23, playing day in Tiko,they tie AS Matelot of Douala.The result insure that the Samba Boys would end the season with at least a tie of the championship.
After the match with As Matelot the team just needed to play match day 24 to qualify as champions because the had an advantage over Cotonsport of Garoua due to 1-1 away tie in Garoua.Both teams had a virgin draw in Tiko.

I spend about the first twenty three years of my life in this area and I was a much bigger supporter of the team in its days as CDC Tiko in the first division and later as Tiko United in the second division.What they have just accomplish should make everybody in this part of the country very proud.