Having stripped the Somalian singer K’Naan’s protest song “Waving Flag” of its original political meaning, Coca-Cola now turns to trivializing African football history. As reported by Steve Bloomfield on his blog Africa United, the Coca-Cola TV commercial “History of Celebration” reduces Cameroon’s remarkable run at the 1990 FIFA World Cup to Roger Milla’s celebratory hip wiggle at the corner flag, rather than the goals and collective achievements that defined the team’s success.

Cameroon reached the quarterfinals—the first African team to do so—defeating the national teams of Argentina, Romania, and Colombia before being eliminated by England after two controversial penalty decisions.

Bloomfield argues that Cameroon’s 1990 performance marked a turning point for African football, challenging long-standing perceptions of African teams as mere participants. In its aftermath, FIFA gradually expanded the number of African slots in the World Cup—from two teams in 1990 to three in 1994, four in 1998, and five by 2002, with six representatives when the tournament was staged in South Africa in 2010.

Cameroon’s breakthrough helped lay the groundwork for that historic hosting decision, signaling a moment when African football could no longer be sidelined or dismissed, per Bloomfield.