Qatar World Cup 2022
Cameroon’s biggest football fan hopes to travel to Qatar to cheer on his beloved Indomitable Lions at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Ngando Pickett has been singing the team’s praises for over 40 years. Showing his support through thick and thin. He attended 16 Africa Cup of Nations tournaments and two world cups.
In an interview with Al Jazeera, he said that he first started supporting the team in 1982. He was a student then, living in the Ivory Coast. “Cameroon had come to play a university competition in Ivory Coast. We were just 10 Cameroonians in Yamoussoukro, but I mobilised them to go support the youth football team…” Pickett added that he was also able to witness Cameroon score their first AFCON trophy.
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Small beginnings, Big dreams
Pickett stopped going by his real name, Henri Mouyébé after his friends nicknamed him after the late Wilson Pickett. He was remarked to have similar dance moves to the late American soul singer.
But it was during his cheering at the 1998 AFCON in Burkina Faso that caught the eyes of Cameroonian officials. He covered his body and clothes with paint matching the green, red and yellow of the country’s flag.
It is clear that football is Pickett’s true love, and he says he is anxiously waiting to hear from the Cameroonian Football Federation (Fecafoot) on whether he can attend the World Cup in Qatar. “Fecafoot is very aware of our plan to go to Qatar. They have told us they are working on our travel, lodging and other things. I am very hopeful about it”, says Pickett.
Dancing side hustler
Pickett is a father of two children and earns extra money entertaining at local events with a dance group he founded in Cameroon. He also founded the fan group, the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon Supporters Club. And is hoping the group will also make the journey to Qatar.
“There are 20 of us who will be taken care of by the Cameroon Football Federation for the World Cup,” says Pickett, “we already started daily practice about a month ago. We are sure of representing Cameroonian fans massively in Qatar.”
He says that any money he earns from performing goes straight to paying for his children’s education.
Cameroon is in Group G. Their campaign begins against Switzerland on November 24th, meeting Serbia 4 days later, and closing off the group stages against Brazil in December.
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