Milla Disappointed With Africa
2010-07-09 19:53:34
Cameroon legend Roger Milla was disappointed with the performance of African sides at this year’s World Cup, the first to be hosted on the African continent. Ghana was the lone team to advance from the group stage but made it to the quarterfinal.
"It was disappointing," he said. "A lot of people were saying that there would be three African teams in the second round and only Ghana made it, although that was to the quarter-finals. I was hoping for more and expecting more, along with better results."
Milla was the star in Cameroon’s 1990 run to the quarterfinals in Italy. The striker scored four goals in that tournament. The run to the quarterfinals is the farthest an African side has advanced in the World Cup and has been equaled only by Senegal in 2002 and now Ghana.
Milla did not go easy on his Indomitable Lions, either, pointing to a ‘lack of discipline as one reason the team was the first to be mathematically eliminated from South Africa.
"The lack of discipline that has been happening over the past three years made the results not a surprise," he said. "Being eliminated in the first round was, unfortunately, something that could have been foreseen. There was a lot of indiscipline within the team and some issues between the players."
The player remembered for his corner flag dancing was part of the problem questioning before the start of the tournament whether current start player Samuel Eto’o belonged in the starting line-up but sticks to those early opinions thinking they helped the side in the long run.
"Yes, my words may have had an impact," said Milla, reflecting on a campaign that saw Eto'o score twice. "But the reason Eto'o played in his proper position as a forward (rather than a right-winger) in the second game was because of what I said.
"Eto'o played much better in that second game. I think I had an impact but I was hoping these changes would have been made right from the start."
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