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As last season’s Champions League finally ends on Friday in Cairo, teams from across the continent are set to start the next one this weekend.
Among them is PWD Bamenda, who in 2015 was at the fourth level of Cameroon’s soccer pyramid and will now face the South African giants Kaizer Chiefs.
Against a backdrop of political tension and violent clashes, the club managed to rise through the leagues and was finally promoted to the top flight in 2018, after what was a 13-year absence.
They survived relegation by a hair in their first season on Elite One, but were crowned league champions earlier this year.
Their first major trophy was won with an element of luck, as they were given the title because they were at the top of the table with a game in hand in May, when the coronavirus pandemic ended the national season early.
The club’s president, Pascal Abunde, says the club’s philosophy has not changed over the years.
“We have not made any major changes.
It is true that there has been a big change in the club’s budget to meet our current state, but again the fundamentals are the same, “he told the BBC’s Newsday program.
“We believe in what we have been doing.
We believe in what we’ve done to get where we are, and we believe it can still work magic on us.
“The Underdogs The domestic league title came with a spot in the African Champions League where they begin their campaign in the preliminary round against two-time South African champion Kaizer Chiefs.
“We know that Kaizer Chiefs budget is maybe 20 or 50 times bigger than ours,” Abunde admitted.
“It is true that we are the losers.
We will enter this game without pressure and we know that it is our opponents who are under pressure now.
“Political Tension and Violence What makes PWD’s story all the more remarkable is the backdrop to its continued rise.
The city of Bamenda is located in the northwest of the country, one of the regions that have been affected by the increasing violence between government forces and rebels, who since 2016 have demanded an independent state for Cameroon’s English-speaking minority.
In March 2019, both the coach of Elite One’s local rivals, Yong Sports Academy, and an entire college football team were kidnapped in separate incidents.
PWD will hold its home stage on Sunday in the southwestern city of Limbe, partly due to safety concerns, but mainly because the facilities on its own grounds do not meet the requirements of the competition.
“It is a great opportunity for a club like ours that has been playing in a region that has been characterized by socio-political upheavals,” continued Abude.
“This club, for us, is the most precious thing for us, and our performances give us reason to think that people can look forward to better days ahead.
“It is important to be able to gather all our sons and daughters from this area to hope that peace returns to our region.”
The government’s coronavirus restrictions mean that only 200 fans will be allowed into Limbe Omnisport Stadium.
Those 200 hope that a club with such amazing momentum can pull off another surprise, to take the lead in next week’s second leg in South Africa.
The winners of the preliminary tie will face 2018 semifinalist Primeiro de Agosto from Angola in the first round of the competition.
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