By Oni Ladonnette Ondesa
Journalist kick442.com – Cameroon
“The worker deserves his wages.”
The biblical principle, found in Luke 10:7, is one many professional footballers would expect to apply throughout their careers. Yet for players at Ngoketunjia United, it is a promise they say remains unfulfilled.
As the North West club battles to preserve its Elite Two status in the ongoing play-downs, allegations of unpaid salaries, outstanding match bonuses, poor accommodation and inadequate player welfare have cast a shadow over its campaign.
A player within the squad, told KICK442 that many members of the team have gone close to four months without receiving salaries, with the last payment reportedly made in February. Match bonuses remain outstanding, while training bonuses have either been delayed or drastically reduced.
The player’s account paints a troubling picture of life behind the scenes at a club fighting for survival on the pitch.
According to information shared with KICK442, the team travelled to the play-downs under difficult conditions, without road allowances or adequate feeding arrangements. Upon arrival, players were reportedly accommodated in cramped conditions, with three players sharing a room and no blankets provided.
“There was no road money. When we got here, we were lodged in an auberge where three players had to share a room. There were no blankets, only bed sheets. The feeding conditions have not been the best either.” He said
The challenges, however, extend far beyond accommodation.
Players say morale within the squad has steadily declined amid repeated promises that have yet to materialise. Some members of the team reportedly chose not to travel for the play-down campaign altogether, having lost faith that their situation would improve.
“There are days players receive as little as 650 francs as a training bonus,” the player alleged. “When concerns are raised, the response is usually another promise.”
Particularly concerning are allegations regarding the treatment of injured players.
The player claims footballers who sustain injuries while representing the club are often left to shoulder the burden of their recovery themselves, with limited medical resources available to support them.
One case highlighted involved a player who allegedly suffered a serious spinal injury during a match against Eding Sport. According to the account provided, the injury could potentially end the player’s football career, yet little assistance has reportedly been offered by the club since the incident.
Financial grievances extend beyond unpaid salaries and bonuses. The player further highlighted that deductions are routinely made from salaries to account for previously paid training bonuses, while players housed in the team hostel allegedly have 20,000 FCFA deducted from their wages as accommodation fees.
Adding to the frustration is the belief among some players that their concerns have repeatedly gone unheard.
Several letters and appeals have reportedly been addressed to club officials throughout the season, while meetings have been held in an effort to find solutions. However, according to the player, tangible progress has remained elusive.
A meeting held on Tuesday June 8, in the presence of the president of Cameroon professional football clubs who also doubles as 4th vice president of FECAFOOT, was expected to provide clarity on the way forward. Instead, players were left with fresh assurances that improvements would soon arrive.
The squad had even considered refusing to travel for the play-downs altogether, according to the player. The decision was ultimately reversed largely because of their confidence in head coach Franklin Anumewa, whom many players credit with standing by them during one of the most difficult periods of the season.
“We travelled because of the coach,” the player said. “Many of us felt he was the reason we received the last salary payment earlier in the year.”
KICK442 contacted a member of the club’s coaching staff regarding the concerns raised by players. The official maintained that the situation was under control and expressed confidence that the outstanding issues would be addressed.
However, days after those assurances were given, players say no concrete action has been taken and conditions remain unchanged.
While the allegations concern one club, the issues raised are far from unique within Cameroonian football. Stories of unpaid salaries, delayed bonuses, strikes, boycotted training sessions and welfare disputes have become recurring themes across the domestic game, raising persistent questions about the protection of players’ rights and welfare.
Footballers are expected to honour contracts, maintain professionalism and give everything for their clubs. It is a standard rightly demanded of them. Yet professionalism is a responsibility that runs both ways.
Luke 10:7 reminds us that “the worker deserves his wages.”
For many footballers across Cameroon, however, those words often feel less like a guarantee and more like a yearly appeal.
And until meaningful action is taken to address the recurring salary and welfare crises that continue to plague the domestic game, players will keep finding themselves in the same painful position: fighting for their clubs on the pitch while fighting to be treated fairly off it.
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