27 March 1988 - Kundé Claims The Cup For Cameroon

On 27 March 1988, Cameroon won their second African Cup of Nations, beating Nigeria with a second-half penalty from defender Emmanuel Kundé. It was Cameroon's third trip to the final and the second one in which they faced Nigeria (they beat the Super Eagles 3-1 in 1984 to claim their first title).

The two teams were paired in the same group for the 1988 tournament and had played to a 1-1 draw. Nigeria went on to top the group, with Cameroon in second. Cameroon advanced to the final with a 1-0 win over Morocco, while Nigeria claimed their spot by beating Algeria on penalties, 1-1 (9-8).

Throughout the tournament, goals were scarce. With a total of sixteen matches, teams scored more than one goal only twice. The final, played before a crowd of 60,000 at the Stade Mohamed V in Casablanca, continued that trend, as the teams played to a hard-fought scoreless draw at the break. Ultimately, they were separated only by a 55th-minute penalty kick, duly converted by Kundé to seal the win for Cameroon.

Since then, the Indomitable Lions have won the cup twice more (2000, 2002) to take their overall total to four. Nigeria, meanwhile, has two cups of their own, won in 1980 and 1994.

30 January 2008 - Eto'o Takes The Title

On 30 January 2008, Samuel Eto'o scored twice in Cameroon's win over Sudan in the African Cup of Nations. In the process, he became the tournament's all-time leading scorer.

The striker had just recovered from a lengthy injury the previous month, but took little time to recover his form, scoring both of Cameroon's goals (including one penalty) in their tournament-opening loss to Egypt on 22 January, then converting another penalty in their 5-1 win over Zambia four days later. That was his fourteenth career goal in the competition, bringing him level with Côte d'Ivoire's Laurent Pokou for the top-scorer honor.

Cameroon returned to the pitch on 30 January for their last group-stage match against Sudan. A crowd of approximately 10,000 watched as Eto'o took sole possession of the scoring title with a 27th-minute penalty that put Cameroon up 1-0. An own goal by Sudan in the 33rd minute extended the lead to 2-0, then Eto'o added another for good measure in the 90th minute to push the all-time record to sixteen and end the day as a 3-0 win.

Unfortunately for Eto'o, it was his last goal in that year's tournament as Cameroon fell to Egypt in the final. But he returned in 2010 and scored twice more to set the current record of eighteen. He was denied the opportunity to extend it even further in 2012, as Cameroon did not qualify for that year's edition.

21 March 1986 - The Pharaohs Reign Again

On 21 March 1986, hosts Egypt won their third Africa Cup of Nations title, beating Cameroon on penalties, 0-0 (5-4).

The Pharoahs had won the very first two tournaments in 1957 and 1959 (the latter as the United Arab Republic), but had managed no better than third in the intervening years. Most recently, they finished fourth in 1984.

Their 1986 campaign got off to a poor start with an opening-day loss to Sengal in Cairo, but they rallied with wins over Côte d'Ivoire and Moambique to top their group. Cameroon, meanwhile, won their own group with wins over Zambia and Algeria and a draw with Morocco.

In the semi-finals, Egypt downed Morocco and Cameroon defeated Côte d'Ivoire with equal 1-0 scorelines to set up the final in Cairo. There, Cameroon's goalkeeper Thomas Nkono, who was named to the team of the tournament, kept Egypt out of the goal, while Egypt, in turn, stymied the tournament's leading scorer, Roger Milla. After extra time, the teams were still scoreless, forcing the match into penalty kicks which Egypt won, 5-4.

Egypt have since gone on to win another four ACN titles, including the last three in a row, making them the competition's most successful nation.

11 February 2003 - The Leader Of The Pack

On 11 February 2003, striker Didier Drogba scored his first goal for Côte d'Ivoire in a 3-0 rout of Cameroon. He is currently their top scorer with a total of 45 goals.

He earned his first cap the previous September when, at 24 years old, he appeared in the opening match of the Elephants' qualifying campaign for the 2004 African Cup of Nations, a scoreless draw against South Africa. The friendly against Cameroon followed.

Playing in front of a crowd of 3,000 at Cameroon's Stade Gaston-Petit, the visitors went up 0-1 with a goal from midfielder Tchiressoua Guel in the 37th minute. Drogba claimed his first goal eight minutes later, doubling the lead right before the break. He was subbed out in the 63rd minute. Bonaventure Kalou then converted an 83rd-minute penalty to end the scoring at 0-3.

Drogba contributed three more goals that year, but Côte d'Ivoire failed to qualify for the ACN. They finished as runners-up in 2006, however, and also qualified that year for their first World Cup. Drogba, meanwhile, now captains the national team and has become a prolific scorer, winning both the Premier League golden boot and the Ivorian Footballer of the Year award in 2007 and 2010.

13 October 2006 - FIFA, Fashion Police

On 13 October 2006, FIFA announced its decision to dock Cameroon 6 points in their qualification campaigns for the 2010 World Cup and 2008 African Cup of Nations--all because the Indomitable Lions wore a unitard.

Cameroon had a history of kit controversy after wearing sleeveless shirts at the 2002 African Cup of Nations. Afterward, FIFA told them they could not wear them at the 2002 World Cup, so Puma, Cameroon's kit maker, added black sleeves for that tournament.

For the '04 Cup of Nations, Puma provided Cameroon with a new kit. Although the shirt and shorts appeared to be separate, they were actually connected to form a one-piece. Cameroon wore the kit for the tournament's first round, but FIFA told them afterward that they could not wear it for the later rounds. Cameroon, however, pleaded that it was too difficult to obtain replacement kits on such short notice and wore the one-piece for their quarterfinal match against Nigeria on 8 February (Nigeria won, 2-1).

After FIFA announced its long-awaited punishment, it eventually relented and rescinded the points penalties. Meanwhile, Puma took FIFA to court, arguing that the rules of the game did not require the shirt and shorts to be separate. They lost, too.

25 September 2001 - This One Didn't Even Get A Name

On 25 September 2001, the Confederation of African Football unveiled the new trophy for the African Cup of Nations. It was the third trophy used since the competition's founding in 1957.

The first African Cup of Nations trophy, which was silver and resembled England's League Cup, was named the Abdelaziz Abdallah Salem trophy, after the first CAF president. When Ghana won the bi-annual tournament for the third time in 1978, the CAF allowed them to keep the trophy and commissioned a new one, named the African Unity Cup. That second trophy, according to the BBC, "was emblazoned with the Olympic rings and with space-age handles and a long stem. "

Cameroon won their third ACN title in 2000 and were allowed to keep the Unity Cup, so the CAF again commissioned the new trophy (pictured). It was first won by Cameroon in 2002, and has since been claimed by Tunisia (2004), and Egypt (2006, 2008, and 2010). Egypt's success meant that they now have permanent possession of the third cup, so the CAF will again have a new one for the 2012 tournament.

1 July 1990 - Gary Lineker, Goalscorer And Prophet

On 1 July 1990, England needed an extra-time penalty kick to beat Cameroon in the World Cup quarterfinals, 3-2. It was a painful end to the tournament for Cameroon, who had been seven minutes away from becoming the first African side to reach the World Cup semi-finals.

It was the second consecutive extra-time match for both sides, with Cameroon getting past Colombia 2-1 thanks to two Roger Milla goals while England squeaked by Belgium 1-0 with a 119th-minute goal from David Platt, making his first World Cup appearance. Both goalscorers featured in the quarterfinal matchup.

It was an energetic, attacking match, full of scoring chances for both sides, but Platt, making his first start in the tournament, sent England ahead with a 25th-minute header. Trailing 0-1 at the break, Cameroon introduced Milla at the start of the second half and he instantly built momentum for his side, leading to two goals in quick succession by Emmanuel Kundé (61', pen.) and Eugène Ekéké (65') to put Cameroon up 1-2. But in the 83rd minute, England striker Gary Lineker was tripped in the box and converted the ensuing penalty kick to level the match at 2-2.

Both sides continued to attack in extra time, but the match was decided by yet another penalty, as Cameroon keeper Thomas Nkono tripped a charging Lineker to concede the spot kick. Lineker converted it to send England through to the semifinals where they lost to West Germany on penalties, prompting Lineker's famous quote: "Football is a simple game; 22 men chase a ball for 90 minutes and at the end, the Germans always win."

28 June 1994 - This Is What Happens When You Play A 42-Year Old In The World Cup

On 28 June 1994, Russia rolled over Cameroon 6-1 in their last group stage match of that year's World Cup, with forward Oleg Salenko (pictured) providing five of those goals to set a World Cup scoring record.

Russia started the day out of contention for the knockout rounds, having lost to both Brazil and Sweden. Cameroon had drawn with Sweden and still had a chance to overtake them for the group's second place, but needed both a win over Russia and a Sweden loss to Brazil in the group's final match. The Russians quickly made the Indomitable Lions' challenge more difficult when Salenko scored his first goal of the day in the 15th minute.

On the attack soon after, Cameroon nearly equalized when François Omam-Bitik's curling shot hit the bar, but were undone when the Russians quickly restarted after a 41st-minute free-kick, leading to a three-on-one situation and another Salenko goal. Three minutes later, the referee awarded the Russians a dubious penalty after an apparent dive and Salenko converted it to secure his first-half hat-trick.

The lone bright spot for Cameroon was the second-half introduction of forward Roger Milla, who came on in the 45th minute and scored one minute later. At 42 years old, he remains the World Cup's oldest scorer.

Salenko scored twice more in the second half (72', 75'), and had a hand in another goal, scored by Dmitri Radchenko in the 81st minute to complete the 6-1 rout. Despite Salenko's brilliant performance, it was the last of his eight appearances for the Russian national team as injuries ended his career shortly afterward.

10 March 1981 - The Pride Of The Indomitable Lions

On 10 March 1981, Barcelona star and Cameroon international Samuel Eto'o was born in Nkon, Cameroon. He currently holds the record for most appearances in La Liga by an African player.

Although most closely associated with Barcelona, Eto'o got his professional start for Barça's fierce rivals Real Madrid, signing for them in 1997. But he failed to make an impact in the Spanish capital and spent most of his time on loan with Leganés, Espanyol, and Mallorca between 1997 and 2000. In 2000, he signed a permanent deal with Mallorca and spent an additional four successful seasons there, along the way winning the 2003 Copa del Rey. He did so well at Mallorca that Real wanted to re-sign him in 2004, but he left instead for Barcelona.

His time at Barcelona was very successful, with three league titles (2005, 2006, 2009) and two Champions League trophies (2006, 2009). On 4 May 2008, he made his 242nd La Liga appearance, breaking the record for most league appearances by an African player. By the time he left Barcelona in the summer of 2009, he had raised that number to 3o9.

Eto'o has also been successful for Cameroon, helping them win the 2000 and 2002 African Cup of Nations, as well as the 2008 Olympic gold medal. He is the all-time top scorer for the Indomitable Lions, notching 44 goals in 94 appearances.

He currently plays for Inter, having moved to the Milanese club in 2009 as part of a deal that sent Inter's Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovich to Barcelona.

[2012 Update: Eto'o left Inter in 2011 for Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala, who gave him a salary of approximately €20M per season, making him the world's highest-paid footballer.]

3 July 1992 - Welcome, Bafana Bafana!

On 3 July 1992, FIFA welcomed South Africa back into the international football fold after a ban of almost 31 years.

The Football Association of South Africa was founded in 1892, but was limited to whites only, due to the country's policy of racial segregation known as apartheid. In 1957, South Africa was invited to join the Confederation of African Football, along with Ethiopia, Egypt, and Sudan, but was expelled in 1958 over the other countries' objections to apartheid.

Also in 1958, South Africa was admitted to FIFA, but was suspended on 26 September 1961, again due to apartheid. Shortly afterward, FIFA President Sir Stanley Rous argued for South Africa's readmission, claiming that the suspension would irrevocably harm the development of South African football and that FIFA had no business in political matters.

FIFA lifted the suspension in January 1963, but reimposed it in October 1964. They formally expelled South Africa in 1976 after the Soweto uprising, in which South African police killed 23 protesters.

In 1991, as racial barriers in South Africa began to fall, the FASA was replaced by the integrated South African Football Association. The new association was admitted to FIFA on 3 July 1992 and, on 7 July 1992, the unified South African national team, nicknamed the Bafana Bafana (Zulu for "the Boys"), played their first match, defeating Cameroon 1-0.