Cameroon national football team

Cameroon

Nickname(s)	Les Lions Indomptables (The Indomitable Lions)
Association	Fédération Camerounaise de Football
Confederation	CAF (Africa)
Head coach	Javier Clemente
Captain	Samuel Eto'o
Most caps	Rigobert Song (138)
Top scorer	Samuel Eto'o (52)
FIFA code	CMR
FIFA ranking	40
Highest FIFA ranking	11 (November 2006)
Lowest FIFA ranking	62 (April 1997)
Elo ranking	45
Highest Elo ranking	12 (June 2003)
Lowest Elo ranking	(April 1995)
Home colours Away colours
First international
Cameroon 9 – 2 Djibouti (Madagascar; 13 April 1960)
Biggest win
Cameroon 9 – 2 Djibouti (Madagascar; 13 April 1960)
Biggest defeat
Norway 6 – 1 Cameroon (Oslo, Norway; 31 October 1990) Russia 6 – 1 Cameroon (Palo Alto, California, USA; 28 June 1994) Costa Rica 5 – 0 Cameroon (San José, Costa Rica; 9 March 1997)
World Cup
Appearances	6 (First in 1982)
Best result	Quarterfinals, 1990
Africa Cup of Nations
Appearances	16 (First in 1970)
Best result	Winners, 1984, 1988, 2000, 2002
Confederations Cup
Appearances	2 (First in 2001)
Best result	Runners-up, 2003

The Cameroon national football team, nicknamed Les Lions Indomptables (The Indomitable Lions), is controlled by the Fédération Camerounaise de Football and is Africa's most successful side; Cameroon has qualified for the FIFA World Cup six times – in 1982, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002 and 2010– more than any other African nation. They were the first African team to reach the quarterfinal of the World Cup, in 1990, losing to England in extra time. They have also won four Africa Cup of Nations and a gold medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics^[1].

History

Lions Indomptables former crest

First games

Cameroon played its first match against Djibouti in 1960, winning 9–2. They first qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations in 1970, but were knocked out in the first round. Two years later, as host nation, the Indomitable Lions finished third in the 1972 Africa Cup of Nations. They would not qualify for the competition for another ten years.

FIFA 1982 World Cup

Cameroon qualified for its first FIFA World Cup in 1982. With the increase of 16 to 24 teams Cameroon qualified along with Algeria to represent Africa in Spain. Cameroon was drawn into group 1 with Italy, Poland, and Peru. In their first game Cameroon faced Italy and held on to a surprising 1–1 draw. Cameroon held Peru and Poland to 0–0 draws but failed to qualify for the second round.

African Nations, 1984

Two years later Cameroon qualified for the 1984 Africa Cup of Nations, held in Côte d'Ivoire. They finished second in their first-round group before beating Algeria on penalties in the semi-final. In the final, Cameroon beat Nigeria 3–1 with goals from René N'Djeya, Théophile Abéga and Ernest Ebongué to become champions of Africa for the first time.

FIFA 1990 World Cup

Cameroon qualified for the 1990 World Cup by surpassing Nigeria and beating Tunisia in the final round playoff. In the final tournament Cameroon were drawn into group B with Argentina, Romania, and the Soviet Union. Cameroon defeated defending champions Argentina in the opening game 1–0 with a goal scored by François Omam-Biyik. Cameroon later defeated Romania 2–1 and lost to the Soviet Union 0-4, becoming the first side to top a World Cup Finals group with a negative goal difference. In the second round Cameroon defeated Colombia 2–1 with the 38 year old Roger Milla scoring two goals in the extra time. In the quarter finals Cameroon faced England. After 25 minutes England's David Platt scored for England. In the second half however Cameroon came back with a 61st minute penalty from Emmanuel Kundé and took the lead with Eugène Ekéké on 65 minutes. England however equalized in the 83rd minute with a penalty from Gary Lineker. Lineker made in 3–2 for England with a penalty in the 105th minute.

FIFA 1994 World Cup

The 1994 World Cup in the USA saw the adjustment of representation for three African teams qualify. Cameroon qualified with Nigeria and Morocco. In the final tournament Cameroon were drawn into group B with Sweden, Brazil, and Russia. After a convincing 2–2 draw with Sweden, Cameroon were determined to make an impact. However a 3–0 loss to Brazil and a 6–1 loss to Russia knocked them out. In their last game against Russia, the then 42 year old Roger Milla became the oldest player to play and score in a World Cup Finals match.

FIFA 1998 World Cup

The 1998 World Cup in France saw the increase of 24 to 32 teams. Cameroon qualified alongside five African countries. After qualifying as expected, Cameroon were drawn into group B with Italy, Chile, and Austria. Despite drawing with Chile and Austria, a 3–0 defeat to Italy saw Cameroon finish bottom of the group, and they were eliminated as a result. Cameroon had three players sent off in the course of the tournament, more than any other team, despite only playing three games out of a possible seven. They also had the highest card count per game of any team, collecting an average of four bookings in each match they played.^[2]

2002 FIFA World Cup

Cameroon qualified for the 2002 World Cup in Korea-Japan clinching first place in their group which included Angola, Zambia, and Togo. In a warm-up game, Cameroon again came close to being the first African team to defeat England, in a 2-2 draw. England as yet, are still undefeated by an African nation. Cameroon were drawn into group E with Germany, Ireland, and Saudi Arabia. Cameroon started with a 1–1 draw with Ireland after giving up the lead and later defeated Saudi Arabia 1–0. In their last game Cameroon were defeated 2–0 by Germany and were narrowly eliminated by the Irish who had not lost a game.

Missing out on Germany 2006

In the 2006 World Cup qualifying round Cameroon were drawn into group 3 with Côte d'Ivoire, Egypt, Libya, Sudan, and Benin. Cameroon led the group for most of the time until their final game. On October 8, 2005 Cameroon drew with Egypt 1–1 while Côte d'Ivoire defeated Sudan 3–1. This result prevented Cameroon from making the World Cup.

2010 World Cup Qualification

In Cameroon's 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign, the team was grouped with the Gabon, Togo, and Moroccan national football teams. After a slow start in their campaign, with a shocking loss to Togo and a draw against Morocco, the coach of Cameroon, Otto Pfister, was fired and Frenchman Paul Le Guen was appointed as the new coach. Le Guen's appointment caused an uprise in Cameroon's spirits as they got a win against Gabon in Libreville, followed by another win against the Panthers four days later in Yaounde. One month later, they defeated Togo in Yaounde by 3 goals. On November 14, 2009, Cameroon defeated the Atlas Lions of Morocco 2–0 in Fez in their last match of their campaign. Gabon was also defeated by Togo 1–0 in Lome. Both results caused Cameroon to qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.^[3]

The Indomitable Lions were the first team to be mathematically eliminated in the 2010 FIFA World Cup, going out in their second group match to Denmark after losing it 1–2, following a 0-1 defeat to Japan.

Controversy about sleeveless and one-piece kits

Cameroon used sleeveless PUMA shirts at the 2002 African Cup of Nations in Mali. FIFA, however, didn't allow Cameroon to use the same kits at the 2002 FIFA World Cup, and black sleeves were added to the shirts.^[4] The 2004 African Cup of Nations witnessed Cameroon again run into controversy regarding their kits. PUMA had designed a one-piece kit for the Cameroon team which FIFA declared illegal, stating that the kits must have separate shirts and shorts. FIFA then imposed fines on Cameroon and deducted six points from their qualifying campaign. PUMA argued that a two-piece kit is not stated as a requirement in the FIFA laws of the game. PUMA however lost the case in court, and Cameroon were forced to wear two-piece kits, but FIFA subsequently restored the six qualifying points to Cameroon.

The death of a team member

In the 72nd minute of the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup semi-final between Cameroon and Colombia, midfielder Marc-Vivien Foé collapsed. He was pronounced dead several hours later. In the final against France, Cameroon wore shirts embroidered with Foé's name and dates of birth and death.

World Cup record

Confederations Cup record

African Nations Cup record

African Cup of Nations
Titles: 4 Appearances: 16
Year	Position		Year	Position		Year	Position
1957	Did not enter		1976	Did not qualify		1994	Champions
1959	Did not enter		1978	Did not qualify		1996	Round 1
1962	Did not enter		1980	Did not qualify		1998	Quarter-finals
1963	Did not enter		1982	Round 1		2000	Champions
1965	Did not enter		1984	Champions		2002	Champions
1968	Did not qualify		1986	Second place		2004	Quarter-finals
1970	Round 1		1988	Champions		2006	Quarter-finals
1972	Third place		1990	Round 1		2008	Second place
1974	Did not qualify		1992	Fourth place		2010	Quarter-Finals

Current squad

The following 23 players were named to the squad for the 2012 CAF Qualifying against Mauritius

Caps and goals updated as of August 10, subsequent to their Friendly Match against Poland.

0#0 Pos. Player Date of Birth (Age) Caps Goals Club GK Guy N'dy Assembé 28 February 1986 (1986-02-28) (age 24) 2 0 FC Nantes GK Joslain Mayebi 14 October 1986 (1986-10-14) (age 24) 0 0 Hakoah Ramat Gan GK Hugo Nyame 14 September 1988 (1988-09-14) (age 22) 0 0 Astres FC DF Benoît Assou-Ekotto 24 March 1984 (1984-03-24) (age 26) 13 0 Tottenham Hotspur DF Nicolas N'Koulou 27 March 1990 (1990-03-27) (age 20) 21 0 Monaco DF Sébastien Bassong 9 July 1986 (1986-07-09) (age 24) 10 0 Tottenham Hotspur DF Gaëtan Bong 25 April 1988 (1988-04-25) (age 22) 4 0 Valenciennes DF André Bikey 8 January 1985 (1985-01-08) (age 26) 25 1 Burnley DF Gilles Binya 29 August 1984 (1984-08-29) (age 26) 14 0 Neuchâtel Xamax DF Henri Bedimo 4 June 1984 (1984-06-04) (age 26) 2 0 Lens DF Aurélien Chedjou 20 June 1985 (1985-06-20) (age 25) 10 0 Lille MF Stephane Mbia 20 May 1986 (1986-05-20) (age 24) 34 3 Olympique de Marseille MF Jean Makoun 29 May 1983 (1983-05-29) (age 27) 54 3 Olympique Lyonnais MF Eyong Enoh 23 March 1986 (1986-03-23) (age 24) 16 1 Ajax MF Georges Mandjeck 9 December 1988 (1988-12-09) (age 22) 9 0 Stade Rennes MF Joel Matip 8 August 1991 (1991-08-08) (age 19) 6 0 Schalke 04 MF Marcel Ndjeng 6 May 1982 (1982-05-06) (age 28) 3 0 Augsburg MF Franck Songo'o 24 May 1987 (1987-05-24) (age 23) 1 0 Real Sociedad FW Samuel Eto'o (captain) 10 March 1981 (1981-03-10) (age 29) 99 50 Internazionale FW Vincent Aboubakar 22 January 1992 (1992-01-22) (age 19) 5 1 Valenciennes FW Henri Bienvenu Ntsama 5 July 1988 (1988-07-05) (age 22) 1 0 Young Boys FW Jacques Zoua 6 September 1991 (1991-09-06) (age 19) 0 0 Basel FW Eric Choupo-Moting 23 March 1989 (1989-03-23) (age 21) 5 1 Hamburg

Recent Call ups

0#0 Pos. Player Date of Birth (Age) Caps Goals Club GK Idriss Carlos Kameni 18 February 1984 (1984-02-18) (age 26) 55 0 Espanyol GK Souleymanou Hamidou 22 November 1973 (1973-11-22) (age 37) 25 0 Kayserispor DF Rigobert Song 1 July 1976 (1976-07-01) (age 34) 137 4 Trabzonspor DF Geremi Njitap 20 December 1978 (1978-12-20) (age 32) 118 13 Larissa F.C. MF Alex Song 9 September 1987 (1987-09-09) (age 23) 24 0 Arsenal MF Alioum Saidou 19 February 1978 (1978-02-19) (age 32) 15 2 Sivasspor MF Landry N'Guémo 28 November 1985 (1985-11-28) (age 25) 21 2 Nancy MF Achille Emana 5 June 1982 (1982-06-05) (age 28) 37 5 Real Betis FW Mohammadou Idrissou 8 March 1980 (1980-03-08) (age 30) 34 6 Borussia Mönchengladbach FW Thierry Fidjeu-Tazemeta 13 October 1982 (1982-10-13) (age 28) 1 0 Konyaspor FW Pierre Webó 20 January 1982 (1982-01-20) (age 29) 44 17 Mallorca FW Paul Alo'o Efoulou 12 November 1983 (1983-11-12) (age 27) 8 0 Nancy

Managers

• 1982 Jean Vincent
• 1988–90 Valeri Nepomniachi
• 1ytt92 Philippe Redon
• 1992–93 Jules Nyongha
• 1994 Henri Michel
• 1994–96 Jules Nyongha
• 1996–97 Henri Depireux
• 1997–98 Jean Manga Onguene
• 1998 Claude Le Roy
• 1998-00 Pierre Lechantre
• 2000–01 Jean-Paul Akono
• 2001 Pierre Lechantre
• 2001 Robert Corfu
• 2001–04 Winfried Schäfer
• 2005–06 Artur Jorge
• 2006–07 Arie Haan
• 2007 Jules Nyongha
• 2007–09 Otto Pfister
• 2009 Thomas Nkono
• 2009–10 Paul Le Guen
• 2010–12 Javier Clemente

See also

• Cameroon women's national football team

References

External links

• Fédération Camerounaise de Football official site
• RSSSF archive of results 1960–
• 2010 World Cup ESPN Profile
• Facebook page
• Cameroon Football Fan Page

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