The Indomitable Lion

FC Montreal Forward Jacques Haman Discusses Transfer Troubles From Cameroon to Montreal

SportsTristan D’Amours — Published August 31, 2015

The young forward has shown that he has a goal-scoring touch. He scored 39 goals in 87 appearances for his previous club, Coton Sport de Garoua, and had already been called up to the Cameroonian national team, the Indomitable Lions. In two starts for his country, Haman already had a goal to his name.

While he has yet to feature for the Impact, he’s done his best to stand out as a member of their affiliate team, FC Montreal. In five matches for the club, Haman already has two goals.

“My objective, even if they would have placed me with the [Impact], is to score.” He said. “Even if it’s the big guys or the under-23s, I only want to score.”

However, if it weren’t for his previous club, Haman might not have even seen the field in a Montreal uniform, regardless of it being from FC Montreal or the Impact.

A month had passed after Haman arrived at the Impact’s training grounds and no deal had been made. According to Haman, Coton Sport de Garoua was attempting to block his transfer deal to Montreal.

“There was a little delay because my club over [in Cameroon] bothered a little, but my agent worked on it and now it’s fine,” he said.

It isn’t the first time Haman’s been stopped from leaving his hometown club, as Coton Sport de Garoua has had a reputation for blocking transactions.

On Feb. 11 2014, Adeline Atangana of Cameroon-Info.net reported that Haman was closing in on a deal with Israeli club Maccabi Tel-Aviv. The Coton Sport front office prevented Haman from joining his new team by saying he was still under contract despite
Haman actually proving he was a free agent, leaving him the option to sign with any club he desired.

Haman finally put pen to paper in late July, but with FC Montreal instead of the Impact. FC Montreal manager Philippe Eullaffroy was involved in a meeting with the Impact soccer operations to evaluate if the player had a future at the club or if it was better for them to send him back to Cameroon.

“My objective, even if they would have placed me with the [Impact], is to score.” — Jacques Haman

“The club thought that he had a very interesting potential. I thought that too, but he was not ready for the [Montreal Impact]. Combined with the fact that there are limits in terms of roster size in [Major League Soccer], it came to us that the best solution for both Jacques and the club was to stay a little while longer by playing with FC Montreal,” explained Eullaffroy. “He would get maximum playing time in the United Soccer League and we would make an assessment in a year to see if the progression was there and if he could knock on MLS’ door.”

“They told me I would train with the first team for a while and then I would drop down with FC Montreal, but there was no problem since in the end it’s the same club,” said Haman.

Putting the ball in the net is a recurring theme for the young man. Haman likes to score, no matter when, no matter how, and understands that his job depends on this. When asked what he remembers from scoring his first goal for the Cameroon national team,
Haman did not recall an emotion but rather a duty of his to defend his country by doing what he does best.

“I think of what the coaches tell me all the time which is, ‘Go on, score the goal and think about us all the time,’” said Haman. “We are united, it’s one family, so we score for everyone.

“I always dream to play with them. I need to defend the colours of my country.”

Montreal Impact and FC Montreal fans can thank another Cameroonian international for Haman’s arrival in La Belle Province. Haman’s initial contact with the club was through former Coton Sport teammate and friend, Impact fullback Ambroise Oyongo.

Earlier this year, the Impact traded for Oyongo in a deal with the New York Red Bulls, but the fullback originally didn’t report to the Impact after his former Cameroonian club, Rainbow FC, attempted to block the trade, claiming that they still held his rights.

“When we were at Coton Sport, he was my best friend. He called me and told me ‘you have to come,’” said Haman. “When I got told that he was here and that I could come stay with him I said, ‘no problem, my friend.’”

Having now signed with FC Montreal Haman will spend the rest of the season, and at least half of next season, with the minor-league affiliate. Eullaffroy isn’t sure whether Haman will make the jump to the Montreal Impact immediately, but is focused on helping Haman adapt to his new surroundings.

“It would be presumptuous to say that we know what will happen with Jacques next year,” said Eullaffroy. “He will make the preparation camp with us, he will soak in our style, he will be even more comfortable with his new Montreal lifestyle and he will get to deal with the cold and snow. Then in June when he will play another 10-12 games and we will have all of the elements to see if he can contribute to the first team.”