Samuel Eto’o Fills, the president of Federation of Cameroon Football (FECAFOOT), has surprisingly been left out of the process of selecting a new coach for the Information Lions by the Paul Biya-led Cameroonian government.
According to 237actu.com, Cameroon legend and current coach of the team, Rigobert Song, is also overlooked, but it is understandable because his job is on the line and shouldn’t play a part in the selection of his successor.
To this effect, Paul Biya decided to personally intervene in the choice of the next coach, with a strategic meeting being held at the General Secretariat of the Prime Minister’s Services to examine the modalities of reconstruction of the national team following a dismal outing at the 2023 AFCON recently rounded off in Cote d’Ivoire.
The exclusion of Eto’o is surprising, given his important roles within the Cameroon Football Federation, which he heads.
The selection of the future head coach will follow a strict procedure, including a call for applications followed by a pre-selection carried out by a technical commission. The finalists will have to undergo an interview before the presidency makes the final decision.
This development portends an end to Song’s managerial romance with the Cameroonian Football Federation since
February 2016, when he was appointed as manager of the Cameroon A’ team, which is composed of players based in Cameroon.
Following his hospitalisation for a brain aneurysm and subsequent recovery, Song resumed coaching duties in 2017, ahead of the qualification stage of the 2018 African Nations Championship. He led the team into the tournament, which saw Cameroon finish bottom of their group after two losses and a draw.
In April 2018, Song was one of 77 applicants for the vacant Cameroon national team job. He assumed the role on a caretaker basis later in the year.
On October 17, 2018, FECAFOOT announced that Song would take control of the Cameroon under-23 team for the 2019 Africa U-23 Cup of Nations campaign.
On February 28, 2022, it was announced that Song had replaced Toni Conceição as the manager of the Cameroon national team. He guided Cameroon to the 2022 FIFA World Cup after beating Algeria in the final hurdle.
At the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the Indomitable Lions failed to progress from the group stage, despite becoming the first manager to guide Cameroon to their first World Cup victory since 2002 against the mighty Brazil, with a shock 1–0 win.
