Douala, Cameroon – There is a small football field in the district of New Bell that, at first glance, is not much to look at. The approximately 100-metre-long (330 feet) pitch is rough, unkempt, replete with puddles and bookended by small wooden goalposts dressed in torn green nets.
The field is not only a symbol of the impoverished nature of New Bell, but it also reveals the community’s deep attachment to the beautiful game. After all, it is the place where football legend Samuel Eto’o first learned to play.
