Before another sell-out crowd of 27,000, Cameroon, the reigning winners of the African Nations Cup, came out eschewing its normal precision offensive play, apparently preferring to wait back and play for a tie, which, as the standings of their division were shaping up, would have earned them a plane ticket to California.

But Canada, sporting several players from the NASL, went ahead by one in the first half, when Dale Mitchell scored on a penalty kick after he was tackled hard in the goalie's box.

And then, when Cameroon made a comeback attempt, they were burned when the officials appeared to miss an offsides call and let stand a breakaway by Canadian Igor Vrbalic 28 minutes into the second half.

Soon after, Cameroon's star, Theophile Abega Mbida, known as "The Doctor," was bounced from the game for arguing with the umpire. Down one man, Cameroon seemed to finally find its form, attacking the Canadian goal mouth with 15 shots.

One found its way through--on forward Louis Paul Mfede's sizzling leftie boot into the corner of the goal mouth from 20 yards--but it was not enough, as the Canadians were to score again to provide the final two-goal margin.

Racism Charge

After the game, Cameroon team members were burning with rage over the officiating, and suggested that racism may lie at the root of the calls against them.

Referring to the play which caused the Canadian's first goal, one of Cameroon's coaches, Jean Michele Njele-Zek, said, "My players continued to play correctly up to the point of the penalty, which I thought was correct. But when the penalty happened to us, the referee closed his eyes."

Discussing the outcome in the courtyard of Quincy House--the players' home for the week--the Cameroon players were even more bitter.

"The result of the game was an extension of the world's political and economic situation and the position of the Third World countries," said Eugene Ekeke. "The referee was obligated to call infractions against the Canadians after what he called against the Cameroon team." Apparently in Ekeke's eyes, he did not.