Stephen Tawtaw is no more. RIP Legend
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Re: Stephen Tawtaw is no more. RIP Legend
Chilled from a friend ( Louis Mbua) on Facebook.
It is with great pain that I learnt of the demise of Stephen Tataw, 31 July 2020; the legendary captain of the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon football team, and the team that announced the arrival of Africa on the football stage. In 1990, Tataw led the Cameroon team to the quarterfinals of the World Cup football tournament in Italy. They were eliminated after 120 minutes of unforgettable football with the England National Team, coincidentally called the Three Lions.
No one gave the team the slightest chance. Scheduled for the first match, we saw how he briefly chatted with Diego Maradona, the then captain of the world cup champions, Argentina. Maradona, at the height of his football prowess, quickly raised the ball with his deadly left foot, directed it onto his shoulder and actually allowed the ball to bounce off his shoulder several times. Fear gripped everyone as he performed his psychological ball play. Cameroon defeated Argentina 1-0 in a dramatic and epic 90 minute battle that saw two Cameroonian players sent off while Omar Biyick scored a spectacular header that sealed victory for the 9 man lions.
I heard about Stephen Tataw when he was attending Baptist Boys Secondary School (BBSS ), now Baptist High School, Soppo, Buea. I had seen him a few times while visiting friends there during day outings while I was in Sasse College in Buea. However, I came to be acquainted with him while he came to study in CCAST Bambili. A soft-spoken six footer, he had the opportunity to have followed an intellectual, academic or professional path of his choice. What struck me was his unflinching passion for the beautiful game.
Those who met him in his youth will testify of his magnificent and athletic physical form. His good looks, notwithstanding, he was humble to a fault. I remember a crucial match that took place between Sonara vs Socamac (CCAST Bambili had club football competitions which were fiercely contested) in a cup finals. Having scored a last minute winning goal with a powerful right footed hammer, and standing from the centre, the entire CCAST Bambili girls invaded the pitch to celebrate with him. They were all over him but he just stood there not knowing what to do. That was the character of the man who rose to lead the Indomitable Lions to epic heights of victory. Behind his football dreams was really an intelligent man whose talent was employed to effectively lead.
That he departed the world in such an unceremonious manner, and prematurely, is a matter of regrettable contradictions. Controversy surrounds his treatment in the aftermath of his successful football career. My own judgment is that one should follow their passion as well as their other given talents, and that it is important to return to one's own home after one's football career.
Good bye, the irreplaceable Captain, and good bye Janvion. Rest in peace Stephen Tataw. The world lost a great soul, a proven leader, a great man of humility, talent and dedication.
It is with great pain that I learnt of the demise of Stephen Tataw, 31 July 2020; the legendary captain of the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon football team, and the team that announced the arrival of Africa on the football stage. In 1990, Tataw led the Cameroon team to the quarterfinals of the World Cup football tournament in Italy. They were eliminated after 120 minutes of unforgettable football with the England National Team, coincidentally called the Three Lions.
No one gave the team the slightest chance. Scheduled for the first match, we saw how he briefly chatted with Diego Maradona, the then captain of the world cup champions, Argentina. Maradona, at the height of his football prowess, quickly raised the ball with his deadly left foot, directed it onto his shoulder and actually allowed the ball to bounce off his shoulder several times. Fear gripped everyone as he performed his psychological ball play. Cameroon defeated Argentina 1-0 in a dramatic and epic 90 minute battle that saw two Cameroonian players sent off while Omar Biyick scored a spectacular header that sealed victory for the 9 man lions.
I heard about Stephen Tataw when he was attending Baptist Boys Secondary School (BBSS ), now Baptist High School, Soppo, Buea. I had seen him a few times while visiting friends there during day outings while I was in Sasse College in Buea. However, I came to be acquainted with him while he came to study in CCAST Bambili. A soft-spoken six footer, he had the opportunity to have followed an intellectual, academic or professional path of his choice. What struck me was his unflinching passion for the beautiful game.
Those who met him in his youth will testify of his magnificent and athletic physical form. His good looks, notwithstanding, he was humble to a fault. I remember a crucial match that took place between Sonara vs Socamac (CCAST Bambili had club football competitions which were fiercely contested) in a cup finals. Having scored a last minute winning goal with a powerful right footed hammer, and standing from the centre, the entire CCAST Bambili girls invaded the pitch to celebrate with him. They were all over him but he just stood there not knowing what to do. That was the character of the man who rose to lead the Indomitable Lions to epic heights of victory. Behind his football dreams was really an intelligent man whose talent was employed to effectively lead.
That he departed the world in such an unceremonious manner, and prematurely, is a matter of regrettable contradictions. Controversy surrounds his treatment in the aftermath of his successful football career. My own judgment is that one should follow their passion as well as their other given talents, and that it is important to return to one's own home after one's football career.
Good bye, the irreplaceable Captain, and good bye Janvion. Rest in peace Stephen Tataw. The world lost a great soul, a proven leader, a great man of humility, talent and dedication.
Only two things in life are certain - death and taxes. But there is one other unpleasant certainty: criticism. No one escapes it entirely and often our careers, our emotional stability, even our happiness depends on how we react to it."By Benjamin Franklin"
Re: Stephen Tawtaw is no more. RIP Legend
RIP Stephen.
Re: Stephen Tawtaw is no more. RIP Legend
Rest Easy number 14. You are not only a Cameroonian hero but an African hero. You and your team mates made the world stand up and respect African football. Rest in perfect peace Mr Stephen Tataw.
Re: Stephen Tawtaw is no more. RIP Legend
Great personality, a personality beyond football. RIP
Man is comfortable in His imperfection but uncomfortable in His perfection. Me. (Inspired by Karol Józef Wojtyła - Crossing the Threshold of Hope)