October 28, 2004

There is now a new twist to the Planet FC saga

THE Football Association of Singapore received a letter late last week from the Cameroon Football Federation (Fecafoot) claiming that Planet FC are for real and not fakes. The letter, signed by Fecafoot deputy secretary-general Prince Ndoki Mukete, said that Planet FC have been authorised to play in the region.

It said:

"The letter signed by Mr Mbappe Essoka, secretary general of the Littoral provincial Fecafoot league, is genuine. Mr Essoka could simply not remember that he signed that letter because it was in English, which is not one of his working languages, and because it was not his prerogative. Planet FC are a registered club in Cameroon and run a youth football academy from where most of their players are taken. After respecting Fecafoot's application procedure for permission to play friendly football matches out of Cameroon, Planet FC have obtained authorisation to play such games in Singapore."

The authenticity of the club, who plan to compete in next year's S-League, was challenged when the media reported last week that Fecafoot did not authorise the club's tour of the region.

FAS general secretary John Koh have confirmed that he received a copy of the letter from Prince Ndoki but he stressed that "it does not mean anything yet" as he was still waiting for a reply from Fecafoot's secretary-general regarding the FAS' enquiries.

He expects a reply by the end of the month.

Meanwhile, Planet FC honorary president Richard Ng is a much-relieved man.

He said they are happy to prove that Planet FC are not a fake club. Now he can start to look for sponsors.

So is the latest letter confirming the authorisation authentic?

A Fuming Ng replied of course. If you think it is not, then you should fly to Cameroon and check for yourself. Prince Ndoki have been invited to come here.

Ng also clarified that the tournament Planet FC won in Thailand is the Prince's Cup and not the ongoing Queen's Cup, which features top Thai sides. The error, he said, was due to misinterpretation.

With the clarification, Planet FC are now hoping that the FAS will confirm their application to play in the S-League but Ng, who is confident that the FAS will give its approval, is not planning to hang around for the answer. He had already left for Cambodia & Thailand to talk to potential sponsors

 

Hosted by www.Geocities.ws

1