1, January 2023
Football: Clarence Seedorf says Onana will return to play for the Indomitable Lions 0
Former Cameroon coach Clarence Seedorf believes Andre Onana will rescind his decision of retiring from international football. Seedorf thinks the Inter goalkeeper will make international U-turn
Onana retired from Cameroon days after being kicked out of World Cup camp. The 26-year-old was accused of indiscipline by coach Rigobert Song
Onana retired from Cameroon duty in December, less than a month after he was kicked out of the Indomitable Lions’ World Cup camp, following a clash with coach Rigobert Song.
However, Seedorf, who handled Cameroon at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, feels the 26-year-old Inter Milan goalkeeper will make a return to the national team at some point.
“Onana is a great goalkeeper, an intelligent, curious man, who takes an interest and believes in himself. I think he will return to play for the national team,” Seedorf told Gazzetta dello Sport.
Onana played in Cameroon’s World Cup opener against Switzerland when they lost 1-0 before he was dropped for disciplinary reasons. Reserve goalkeeper Devis Epassy took his place as they fought from 3-1 down to draw 3-3 with Serbia and then stunned Brazil 1-0 in their final group match.
The goalkeeper claimed to have “always behaved in a way to lead the team to success in a good manner,” but Song was adamant that he needed to send a strong message to one of the Indomitable Lions’ star players.
Onana had made 34 appearances for his country, featuring in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations as well as the 2022 World Cup, since making his debut in a friendly against France in May 2016.
Onana had earlier in the week explained how he has put his woes with Cameroon behind him and was eyeing success with Inter.
“This is where I belong, I think that’s obvious,” he said. “I’ll always be a fan of my Cameroon, but now I’m only focused on Inter and I want to win every trophy with the Nerazzurri. With the team that we have, I think that’s possible.”
Onana is now fully focused on club duties with Inter Milan who are preparing for their Serie A return against leaders Napoli on January 4.
Source: Goal.com
6, January 2023
Mbankomo: More U-17 players fail age testing enforced by Eto’o 0
Cameroon’s Under-17s face a race against time to field a team for regional African Cup of Nations qualifiers after more players failed age tests ordered by Samuel Eto’o, president of the country’s governing body, Fecafoot.
The former Barcelona and Inter Milan striker’s insistence on using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) screening saw the squad ravaged at their training camp in Mbankomo, on the outskirt of Yaounde.
Of the initial 30-member group, 21 failed the tests.
But BBC Sport Africa now understands Cameroon have suffered a fresh setback as 11 new players also failed tests on Tuesday, with coach Jean Pierre Fiala struggling to find replacements.
Cameroon host Congo, Chad, DR Congo and Central African Republic for the Central African Football Federations’ Union (UNIFFAC) qualifiers between 12 and 24 January, with two teams progressing to April’s Under-17 Nations Cup in Algeria.
A Fecafoot statement said Eto’o gave “strict instructions” for the actions to be taken “in order to put an end to the tampering with civil status records which have, in the past, tarnished the image of Cameroon football.
“Fecafoot urges all actors, in particular educators, to ensure that the ages by category are respected.”
The fight against age cheats
Many of Africa’s international successes in junior tournaments have been clouded by allegations of the use of over-age players.
Football’s world governing body Fifa introduced MRI scans at the 2009 Under-17 World Cup, which took place in Nigeria.
The MRI works by scanning the wrist to study how advanced the bone structure is
In 2017, Fecafoot blocked 14 players from taking part in the Under-17 Afcon in Gabon after they failed the tests.
Eto’o promised to take action to combat the long-running problem when he was elected Fecafoot president in December 2021 and Simon Lyonga, a journalist with Cameroon’s national broadcaster CRTV, says the decision to weed out age cheats has been applauded by the public.
“Here in Cameroon, people are by and large pleased that Fecafoot actually seem to be doing something to try to stop the cheating,” Lyonga told BBC Sport Africa.
“It is important for the country to give chances to players of the right age.”
Cameroon have twice been continental champions at Under-17 level, in 2003 and 2019.
Source: BBC