Joseph-Desire Job, Guy Feutchine, Chritian Tchuisse and Bernard Tchoutang have all been given a last chance to make Cameroon’s World Cup squad.
Coach Winfried Schaefer has yet to decide on his final 23-man squad, and so this has given the four fringe players a last-minute chance to stake their claim after they were named in a provisional 29-man squad released yesterday.
The quartet were not in the team that won the African Nations Cup last February and will need to work extra hard to squeeze into the final squad set to be announced after the team’s friendly against Denmark on May 17.
Schaefer has no such problems with his goalkeepers, with Alioum Boukar, Jacques Songo’o and young Carlos Kameni certain of their places as Cameroon’s top three stoppers.
The Cameroon ministry has revealed that the players will assemble in Yaounde on Wednesday May 15 and will be received by the country’s Prime Minister Mafany Musonge. They will take part in an exhibition game to bid farewell to their fans before flying to Copenhagen to face Denmark two days later.
Meanwhile, FIFA has agreed to the Lions’ request of using a slightly modified version of their sleeveless shirts at the World Cup with a design that is just long enough to accommodate the competition logo.
Cameroon stunned the world at the African Nations Cup with their basketball-style sleeveless jerseys, and although FIFA turned down their request to use them for the World Cup a compromise is said to have been reached.
The provisional squad in full:
Goalkeepers: Alioum Boukar, Jacques Songo’o, and Carlos Kameni
Defenders: Rigobert Song, Raymond Kalla, Pierre Wome, Lucien Mettomo, Pierre Njanka Beaka, Christian Tchuisse.
Midfielders: Bill Tchato, Nicolas Anouldji, Eric Djemba Djemba, Marc Vivien Foe, Lauren Etame Mayer, Joseph Ndo, Daniel Ngome Kome, Geremi Njitap, Salomon Olembe, Joel Epalle, Modeste Mbami, Guy Feutchine.
Forwards: Samuel Eto’o, Patrick Mboma, Pius Ndiefi, Joseph-Desire Job, Bernard Tchoutang, and Francis Kioyo.