October 22, 2004
Planet FC bid to
join the S-League now looks in serious doubt, following a shocking revelation that
challenged the credibility of the Cameroonian club.
It has been well
documented that Planet claimed to have won the 2004 Queen's Cup in Thailand
earlier this year, winning 8 out of 9 matches in the prestigious football
tournament but following a check with the Thai Football Association, it was discovered
that the 2004 Queen's Cup only kicked off on Monday.
When contacted,
Thai FA general secretary Worawi Makudi
said he had never heard of Planet as Worawi remarked on
how could they have won the Queen's Cup as it only
kicked off on Monday
Defending the
club's claim, Planet president Francis Ngankeu said
that they were not given the correct name of the tournament they competed in.
He said the
officials from
The Princess Cup is
an amateur competition in
This latest
development will be a cause for concern within the corridors of the Football
Association of
A Cameroonian
Football Federation (Fecafoot) spokesperson had
claimed that the letter, written in English, could not be genuine as the man
who signed it - general secretary of Littoral provincial league Mbappe Essoka - did not speak or
read the language. Fecafoot are also said to have
dismissed Planet's claims that they are playing in Division 2 of the Littoral
province, saying that they are in fact a Division 3 team.
Countering the
claim, Ngankeu insists there are people within Fecafoot who are jealous of Planet.
He said he want to
know who in Fecafoot made these statements as he is not
convinced. If the documents are fake, how was it
possible for him to take an African team to
FAS general
secretary John Koh said he had wrote to Fecafoot for official verification of Planet's credentials &
as they have yet to receive any official verification Koh
is not willing to comment.
But if positive
information is not forthcoming soon, FAS have no choice but to reject their
application.