Free kick: Continually Striving For Perfection

Curtains have finally dropped for the 2026 Elite One Championship in the country with mixed fortunes for the 14 clubs that competed. While Colombe of the Dja and Lobo celebrate their triumph, the second in a row, the competition’s underdogs, Fauve Azur, are gnashing their teeth in relegation that sent them back to the Elite Two Championship next football term. The end of the season is therefore a moment for stocktaking. Analysing the championship in all its entirety from club level to general organisation so as to see what to uphold and where to make amends for posterity. Being a human endeavour, no one would expect perfection for, it is not of this world. However, there is always room for improvement so that what went wrong today is corrected for tomorrow. This is logically what all stakeholders should be doing now. Some of the satisfactions of the justended season that should be celebrated are the near hitch-free programming of matches and the spectator turnout in stadiums. The problem of playgrounds seems to have been partially overcome as all the 14 participating clubs knew from the onset and throughout the season where their home games were to be played. This alone stabilised the programming of matches and clarified the spectators on which match was to be played where and at what time. Enough reason for fans to throng the stadiums, as they did, to support their clubs. Everything being equal, the supporter enthusiasm swelled the coffers of the organisers and clubs with money from gate-takings as well as sale of gadgets. Visibly, the spectacle was there. Prove is that keen fans held their breath till the 26th and last playing day to know the champion. The suspense made the games interesting and attracted many to watching them. Clearly, these are strong points to be upheld and more so, perfected. However, the problems of match ...