Cameroon Football Federation (FECAFOOT) President Samuel Eto’o officially announced the departure of the legendary defender as head coach of the Indomitable Lions in an interview with France 24 on Wednesday, February 28, 2024.
Following the disappointing performance of the Indomitable Lions at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire, the Executive Committee of the Cameroonian Football Federation convened on Monday, February 5, 2024, to make crucial decisions.
Song, who had been at the helm as head coach since February 28, 2022, lost his position as his contract, which ended on February 24, will not be extended, africanews360.com can confirm following an official release by the club’s football federation.
As announced, the president of the Fecafoot and the coach of Cameroon, Rigobert Song, are at the Prime Minister’s Office to assess the performance of the 2023 AFCON. The government will then review the applications for the position of head coach of the Indomitable Lions.
Heavily criticized for his mediocre statistics with the Indomitable Lions, the former Liverpool player will not be granted a contract extension by the Cameroonian football governing body. With a very mixed record, Rigobert Song did not really succeed during his tenure with the five-time African champions, notably experiencing elimination from the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in the Round of 16, and the early exit from the 2022 World Cup in the group stage.
Jeune Afrique reports that the presidency has decided to intervene, as it has always done. “There will be a call for applications, and the various CVs received by Fecafoot will be examined by a technical committee.
This committee will shortlist, probably, three names, and the three finalists will be interviewed,” explained one source. “It is the presidency that will make the final decision, as it was done in the past. The one who pays decides, it’s logical. This doesn’t mean that Samuel Eto’o won’t have the opportunity to advocate for a candidate, but he won’t be the one to decide,” added the source, as reported by the magazine.
In the meantime, while waiting for this elusive candidate, an interim coach is expected to work during the FIFA window in March.
