The young versatile player from OM, Régis Mughe, is going through a complicated period. After snubbing Cameroon and the 2023 AFCON, likely to secure more playing time with the club, the player still does not have the authorization from FECAFOOT, a situation that seriously bothers coach Gennaro Gattuso.
He didn’t really expect it, François Régis Mughe is going through a very critical period in his young career. At just 19 years old, the Douala native is in a delicate situation after refusing to join the Cameroon national team for the Africa Cup of Nations. Indeed, chosen by the coach of the Indomitable Lions, Rigobert Song, to participate in the 2023 AFCON starting this Saturday, the young player who has been with OM since 2022 decided not to honor this first call-up.
The bitter silence of FECAFOOT
After this refusal that sparked a lot of discussion, Régis Mughe now finds himself deprived of competition. While his choice is to gain playing time with OM while several African key players from the club are playing with their countries in the 2023 AFCON, the 19-year-old winger sees his plans falling apart. According to FIFA regulations, a player cannot refuse to respond to the call-up of his national team, except in case of injury or force majeure. By acting this way, Mughe has shot himself in the foot as Cameroon currently refuses to grant him permission.
Indeed, with FIFA’s strict rules in such cases, as long as the concerned country does not authorize its player to play for the club, there is no other solution. With the implacable silence of Cameroon via FECAFOOT led by Samuel Eto’o, which has not yet given the OK to Régis Mughe, OM can do nothing.
Gattuso’s frustration
In a press conference before the 18th round of Ligue 1 between OM and Strasbourg this Friday, coach Gennaro Gattuso expressed his sorrow over Mughe’s situation. After an intervention a few days ago to clarify the club’s position in the matter, the Italian coach reveals the suffering of the Cameroonian player.
“At the lawyer level, they didn’t call me. He trained with the team. FIFA hasn’t pronounced itself; we’re waiting. (…) You can’t know how much I’m saddened by his situation. I feel a lot of frustration. When I arrived, he took a blow to the head, and he lost a month without being able to train. Then, he made this decision with respect and seriousness, and today, he is overwhelmed by all this. There is a lot of suffering on his part, and I’m sorry,” Gattuso revealed. Therefore, he cannot always benefit from Régis Mughe’s qualities, while his squad is seriously depleted due to the 2023 AFCON.
An uncertain future
Will Régis Mughe regret his choice? Has the player, who does not yet have Franco-Cameroonian dual nationality, definitively closed the door to the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon? For now, FECAFOOT seems to be struggling with the player’s refusal at OM, as do several Cameroonians. While waiting to learn more about this case, Marseille hopes that the situation will be resolved quickly so that Mughe can return to the fields as soon as possible.
The Marseille club, which aspires to qualify for the Champions League, needs all its assets to face the second half of the season. And during this period of the AFCON, when key players like Iliman Ndiaye, Ismailla Sarr, or Pape Gueye are with Senegal; Chancel Mbemba with the DRC; Ounahi and Amine Harrit with Morocco, Mughe is very important to fill the void.
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