Cameroon is definitively out of the race for the 2023 AFCON. Defeated by Nigeria in the round of 16, Rigobert Song and his players have fallen miserably. While voices rise to demand his immediate resignation, Rigobert Song clings on and refuses to abdicate.
The inevitable happened for Cameroon this Saturday. After a mixed group stage with an opening draw (against Guinea Conakry), a defeat (against Senegal), and a hard-fought victory (against Gambia), the Indomitable Lions secured qualification for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations round of 16. From then on, the hope of presenting a better image and bouncing back against Nigeria invaded many Cameroonians. Unfortunately, the failure was severe against the Super Eagles (2-0), who delivered a splendid performance. Rigobert Song, who claimed to have a plan to counter their intentions, failed to materialize it.
Rigobert Song refuses to resign
He who claimed to have a plan to thwart José Peseiro’s plans failed to use the necessary ingredients. Moribund against average teams, strong against smaller ones, and ineffective against bigger teams, Cameroon under Rigobert Song failed to register a single shot on target against Nigeria in the 2023 AFCON round of 16. Since 2010, this had not happened to the Indomitable Lions, who continue to decline. After the elimination, voices are almost unanimous: the Cameroonian manager must resign from his position.
In a press conference after the Nigeria match, Song did not escape the question about his future. Unlike the managers of Ivory Coast (Jean-Louis Gasset), Tunisia (Kadri), or Algeria (Belmadi), the former defender of the Indomitable Lions dismissed any idea of resignation despite the fiasco of his team. “I am combative. I like difficult things. I said I am under contract. I will have time to rest, to take stock before making decisions,” he said in statements relayed by Camfoot.
Song and his record with Cameroon
While everyone sees a tactically weak Cameroon with a detached Rigobert Song who cannot get the best out of his players, the accused believes that he will need time to correct the mistakes. “I don’t have a negative record… I think that within 2 to 3 years, we will be present (stronger),” Rigobert Song asserted on Canal+, estimating that a record of 9 defeats, 8 draws, and 6 victories in 23 matches since he took over the national team is not negative.
In any case, it is clear that more time will be needed to hope for a change (or not) at the helm of the Cameroonian selection, which is in a difficult situation in the qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup. Perhaps Samuel Eto’o will have to decide earlier than expected or let the manager go through the end of his contract in March next year (in two months).
Is it Samuel Eto’o’s time?
During the 2023 AFCON, the president of FECAFOOT was in the spotlight. Considered a man of character who does not hesitate to speak his mind, Samuel Eto’o temporarily lost his temper against Rigobert Song. Indeed, just before the decisive match against Gambia, the former FC Barcelona striker clearly expressed his disappointment with the game displayed by his country for the whole world to see. Although things seemed to improve against the Scorpions, the Super Eagles brought the truth about Cameroonian football, which has been struggling for some time.
Despite talents like Georges Kévin Nkoudou, Christopher Wooh, or Jean-Charles Castelletto, there is still significant work to bring Cameroon back to the forefront in Africa, as recently emphasized by El-Hadji Diouf.
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