The Cameroon team is actively preparing for its imminent participation in the 2023 African Cup of Nations. The Indomitable Lions’ programme has now been officially unveiled.
According to local press reports, a group of 30 players will head to Saudi Arabia for a training camp in Jeddah, starting on 27 December.
A well-thought-out training camp for the Cameroon team
This week-long training camp is of crucial importance in the Lions’ preparation strategy. It should be noted that not all the players will be present from the outset, as their clubs may hold them back until the beginning of January.
Aside from the technical and physical aspects of this preparation, the stakes of this grouping are also of a decision-making nature for coach Rigobert Song. Only a maximum of 27 players will have the chance to claim a place on the plane to Côte d’Ivoire, where the African Cup of Nations will be held.
This means that, for three players, the dream of taking part in this prestigious continental competition will come to an end at the end of this training camp. The coach’s choices will be based on the individual performances of the players and how they complement each other within the team.
A friendly match for the Cameroon team
The first full-scale test for the Cameroon team will be a friendly match against Equatorial Guinea, scheduled for 8 January in Yaoundé at the end of the training camp. This match will provide an opportunity to assess the cohesion and effectiveness of the squad.
The Cameroon Football Federation (Fecafoot), under the leadership of the emblematic and controversial Samuel Eto’o, is also in talks to organise a second friendly match, underlining the importance of these encounters in refining tactics and strategy before the start of the African Cup of Nations.
The pressure is palpable, both for the players and the coaching staff. The Cameroon team, with its rich footballing heritage, is being closely watched by its supporters, who are eager to see their national team shine on the African stage.
With so much at stake, every player called up knows that the opportunity to represent his country is at hand, and that every training session, every friendly match, could play a decisive role in the final composition of the team that takes off for Côte d’Ivoire. The Indomitable Lions kick off their campaign against Guinea on 15 January, before taking on Senegal four days later and then Gambia on 23 January.
Samuel Eto’o has already warned…
Samuel Eto’o acknowledges that Cameroon may not be among the favourites heading into the new African Cup of Nations, but he is keen to stress their special status. “It’s true that we’re not considered contenders for the final podium, but don’t forget that we are Cameroon, and Cameroon remains Cameroon. We will humbly go to Côte d’Ivoire to share this moment of happiness with our African brothers. And we hope that our team will put in one of the best performances of the tournament,” he declared on Saturday evening at the Cameroon Ballon d’Or ceremony.
The message is clear. The Cameroon national team has already won the prestigious tournament five times (in 1984, 1988, 2000, 2002 and 2017). At the last edition in 2022, played on home soil, the Cameroonians came third. Vincent Aboubakar, who plays for Besiktas in Turkey, finished as the competition’s top scorer with 8 goals.
Rigobert Song’s troops will start their tournament campaign against the Syli National of Guinea on 15 January, followed by a crucial match against Senegal on 18 January, before concluding the group phase with a match against Gambia. This is undoubtedly the toughest group at this CAN 2023.
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