Bafang. Saturday. Euphoria for the yellow and red colours.
The Ngandjui Gaston stadium swallowed another anglophone club. After Victoria United’s dismay, PWD Bamenda fell 1-0 to Unisport du Haut Nkam. A single strike at the 46th minute. A single moment of agony. And yet, for those who understand the liturgical calendar, this defeat carries a weight far heavier than three points.
Lent has arrived for christians. And with it, the Stations of the Cross have begun for the Abakwa Boys.
The First Station: Condemned. (Jesus is condemned by Pontius Pilate)
Let me take you memory lane to match day one. Valentine Nkwain’s Victoria United arrived at the Limbe Centenary stadium like Pontius Pilate himself — cold, clinical, merciless. Three penalties and 3 goals for the home side. A 3-0 humiliation that felt like a death sentence delivered without hesitation. The crowd jeered and controversy filled the air with referees accused of poor officiating. PWD were condemned before the season had even drawn its first proper breath.
It felt final. It felt brutal. It felt unjust.
The Second Station: The Cross is Lifted. (Jesus takes up his cross)
But condemned men have been known to surprise their accusers.
PWD did not crumble. They bent their backs, took up the burden, and walked forward. Four consecutive wins followed. Stade Renard dismantled 4-1. Gazelle silenced 1-0. Fauve Azur beaten on their own turf, 1-2. Panthère tamed, 2-0. Glorious. Relentless. Redemptive, name it all!
The cross was heavy. They carried it anyway. Bamenda believed again.
The Third Station: The First Fall. (Jesus falls the first time)
Then came Bafang. Then came the 46th minute.
Nkwam Mbappé — a name that will ring a bell in the minds of PWD for some time — struck with the precision of a Roman soldier. One blow. Clean. Devastating. The ball hit the net. PWD hit the ground.
Like Christ falling beneath the weight of the cross on the road to Calvary, the Abakwa Boys stumbled at the Ngandjui Gaston stadium. Falls happen. Even to the righteous.
The Fourth Station: The Mother. (Jesus meets his mother, Mary)
Now the road leads to Yaoundé. February 25th. The military stadium. Confident after an away win against Panthere FC, Colombe FC awaits the Abakwa boys.
In the fourth station, Christ raises his eyes through the dust and finds his mother Mary standing at the roadside. She cannot take the cross from him. But her presence steadies him. Her love does not flinch.
Will Colombe offer PWD that same merciful gaze? Will they be Mary in this unfolding passion play? Or will they be yet another tormentor on a long and winding road to Calvary? The answer comes next Wednesday.
One thing is certain. The Lenten journey of PWD Bamenda is far from over. The cross remains heavy, the road long but in this season of suffering and redemption, hope can bring down mountains.
Abakwa. Rise!
