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Voting with the Feet
Fans who think their whole world rests on the success or failure of their favorite team should consider how much politician Paul Biya, President of Cameroon, has to lose. Of the five African squads in this year's finals, Cameroon is thought most likely to progress beyond the first round. The Indomitable Lions, back-to-back champions of Africa, are making their fourth consecutive appearance in the World Cup. Biya likes the odds. He scheduled parliamentary elections to coincide with the games in hopes that on-field success will make for a euphoric nation—and voters will happily re-elect his party's incumbents. Opposition leader John Fru Ndi calls the election timing "Machiavellian," but risking a red card from constituents based on the outcome of a sporting event doesn't seem like a surefire political maneuver. |
