Cameroon vs. Uganda Friendly Scheduled – mister-baseball.com

The national team of Cameroon will travel to Uganda for a friendly with the host’s nine as part of the Kampala International Baseball Tournament, scheduled from July 19–23. The event will be held at the National Friendship Stadium in Gayaza, Uganda, just north of the capital Kampala. The event is billed as “Road to LA 28.”

“Cameroon is back on a national and international scale on the fields in Cameroon and in international competitions after several years’ absence,” noted Fédération Camerounaise de Baseball et Softball in an interview with Yomba Vincent de Paul, FCBS President.

According to Vincent de Paul, the trip will occur because of “the Minister for Physical Education and his contribution to the promotion and development of baseball. Notably, as for the present, the participation of Cameroon in the Uganada tournament [is a result of…] everything that has been done strategically…since the start of our mandate in May 2023.” [video]

Morever, in an interview with with Achille Alinga, Personal Representative of the Minister of Sports and Civic Education, Alinga stated, “It is not just a matter of sports, but also of the human dimension and—above all—Cameroon’s international standing; the Ministry of Sports has therefore provided substantial support, enabling us to operate effectively both on the ground and internationally.” [video]

Before departure, Olembe Stadium in Yaounde hosted a “Baseball Friendship Match” between “Team Japan & Korea” and “Team USA”, along with training for the senior national team. Didier Djeuffouo Lontsi [pictured above, front row, far right] was chosen as Senior National Team Head Coach on June 30.

The new skipper co-founded the Yaoundé Tigers in 1995 with Romuald Moutcheu Moungoue and Sylvestre Ouamba Lontsi and played catcher, shortstop, and third base for the club en route to four national titles between 1998–2015. He represented Cameroon at the 2008 Olympic Games Africa Qualifier and has recently completed two years of training with Japan-Africa Baseball & Softball—an offshoot of the indefatigable Japan International Cooperation Agency, which has done so much for baseball in Africa. Djeuffouo Lontsi managed Cameroon in a February friendly against a combined team from the U.S. Embassy and the Japan’s Chargé d’Affaires, which Cameroon won. His assistant will be Serges Kenmegne.

“The preparation has been excellent and went very smoothly,” noted Djeuffouo Lontsi. “With the work we’ve done, we have high expectations. Given the work we’ve put in, we can expect excellent results. It’s a very good team. They’ve been well prepared, so the feeling is great.” [video]

The friendly between the two is set for July 22. It is not clear what other events will occur during the Kampala International Baseball Tournament, for which dates of both July 17–23 and July 19–23 have been published. The tourney will take advantage of the Japan-Uganda National Friendship Stadium, which was funded by the Embassy of Japan in Uganda with a grant of $122,175 and inaugurated on 25 January 2014 [link].

Rosters for Cameroon and Uganda have not been released, though Ernest Ohandza Jr. has identified that he has been selected to the former. Ohandza, a right-handed pitcher, was a surprise draftee in the inaugural Baseball United draft [link].

No official statement about the tournament has been released by the Uganda Baseball and Softball Association (UBASA) or WBSC Africa.

All interviews translated by author.