Cameroon national football team

Cameroon
Nickname(s) Les Lions Indomptables
(The Indomitable Lions)
Association Fédération Camerounaise de Football
Confederation CAF (Africa)
Sub-confederation UNIFFAC
(Central Africa)
Head coach Hugo Broos
Captain Benjamin Moukandjo
Most caps Rigobert Song (137)
Top scorer Samuel Eto'o (56)[1]
Home stadium Stade Ahmadou Ahidjo
FIFA code CMR
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 36 Decrease 4 (6 July 2017)
Highest 11 (November 2006 – January 2007, November–December 2009)
Lowest 79 (February–March 2013)
Elo ranking
Current 41 (30 April 2017)
Highest 12 (June 2003)
Lowest 76 (April 1995)
First international
 Belgian Congo 3–2 French Cameroon
(Belgian Congo; September 1956)
Biggest win
 Cameroon 9–0 Chad 
(DR Congo; April 1965)
Biggest defeat
 Norway 6–1 Cameroon 
(Oslo, Norway; 31 October 1990)
 Russia 6–1 Cameroon 
(Palo Alto, California, United States; 28 June 1994)
 Costa Rica 5–0 Cameroon 
(San José, Costa Rica; 9 March 1997)
World Cup
Appearances 7 (first in 1982)
Best result Quarter-finals, 1990
Africa Cup of Nations
Appearances 18 (first in 1970)
Best result Champions, 1984, 1988, 2000, 2002, 2017
African Nations Championship
Appearances 1 (first in 2016)
Best result Quarter-finals, 2016
Confederations Cup
Appearances 3 (first in 2001)
Best result Runners-up, 2003
Lions Indomptables former crest

The Cameroon national football team, nicknamed in French Les Lions Indomptables (The Indomitable Lions or Untameable Lions), is the national team of Cameroon. It is controlled by the Fédération Camerounaise de Football and has qualified seven times for the FIFA World Cup, more than any other African team (in 1982, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2010 and 2014). However, the team has only made it once out of the group stage. They were the first African team to reach the quarter-final of the World Cup, in 1990, losing to England in extra time. They have also won five Africa Cup of Nations titles.[2]

History

First games

Cameroon played its first match against Belgian Congo in 1956, losing 3–2. 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 after being knocked out by their neighbours and future champions Congo in the 1972 Africa Cup of Nations. They would not qualify for the competition for another ten years.

FIFA 1982 World Cup – the first time

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 eventual winners Italy, Poland and Peru. In their first game, Cameroon faced Peru and drew 0–0. They then had a second goalless draw with Poland before a surprise 1–1 draw with Italy. Despite being unbeaten they failed to qualify for the second round.

African Nations, 1984

Two years later, Cameroon qualified for the 1984 Africa Cup of Nations, held in the Ivory Coast. 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 Abega and Ernest Ebongué to become champions of Africa for the first time.

FIFA 1990 World Cup – Quarter Finals

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, while in the second-half, 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, while Lineker again found the net via a 105th-minute penalty to make the eventual scoreline 3–2 for England. The team was coached by Russian manager and former player Valeri Nepomniachi.

1994 World Cup

The 1994 World Cup in the United States 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 2–2 draw against Sweden, Cameroon were determined to make an impact. However, a 3–0 loss to Brazil and a heavy 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. The team was coached by French-born Henri Michel.

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. It was an unfortunate elimination, since Cameroon had led Austria 1–0 until the 90th minute, and had two goals dubiously ruled out in a 1–1 draw with Chile. 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.[3] It was also during this tournament that a certain Samuel Eto'o was exposed to Cameroonians. He was the youngest player of the tournament alongside Michael Owen of England. The team was coached by French-born Claude Le Roy.

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. Cameroon were drawn into Group E alongside Germany, the Republic of 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.

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.

Missing out on Germany 2006

In the 2006 World Cup qualifying round, Cameroon were drawn into Group 3 with the Ivory Coast, Egypt, Libya, Sudan and Benin. Cameroon led the group for most of the time until their final game, when Pierre Womé failed to convert a late penalty. On 8 October 2005, Cameroon drew with Egypt 1–1 while the Ivory Coast defeated Sudan 3–1, results which prevented Cameroon from qualifying to the World Cup.

2010 World Cup Qualification

In Cameroon's 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign, the team was grouped with Gabon, Togo and Morocco. After a slow start in their campaign with a loss to Togo, the coach of Cameroon, Otto Pfister, resigned. Frenchman Paul Le Guen was appointed as the new coach after a draw against Morocco. Le Guen's appointment caused an uprise in Cameroon's spirits as they earned a win against Gabon in Libreville, followed by another win against the Panthers four days later in Yaoundé. One month later, they defeated Togo in Yaoundé by three goals. On 14 November 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 Lomé. Both results caused Cameroon to qualify for the 2010 World Cup finals, held in South Africa.[4]

The Indomitable Lions were the first team to be mathematically eliminated in the 2010 World Cup, going out in their second group match to Denmark after losing 1–2, followed by 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, did not allow Cameroon to use the same kits as at the 2002 World Cup, and black sleeves were added to the shirts.[5] 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.

2003 Confederation Qualifiers

Cameroon won its fourth championship (repeating as champions), beating Senegal on penalty kicks 3–2 after a goalless draw to qualifier for the Confederations Cup in France June, 2003.[6]

2017 Confederation Qualifiers

Cameroon won the African Cup of Nations after defeating Egypt in the finals on 5 February 2017.[7]

World Cup record

FIFA World Cup record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA
Uruguay 1930 to
Chile 1962		 Did Not Enter
England 1966 Withdrew
Mexico 1970 to
Argentina 1978		 Did Not Qualify
Spain 1982 Group Stage 17th 3 0 3 0 1 1
Mexico 1986 Did Not Qualify
Italy 1990 Quarter-Finals 7th 5 3 0 2 7 9
United States 1994 Group Stage 22nd 3 0 1 2 3 11
France 1998 25th 3 0 2 1 2 5
South Korea Japan 2002 20th 3 1 1 1 2 3
Germany 2006 Did Not Qualify
South Africa 2010 Group Stage 31st 3 0 0 3 2 5
Brazil 2014 32nd 3 0 0 3 1 9
Russia 2018 To Be Determined
Qatar 2022
Total Quarter-Final 7/20 23 4 7 12 18 43

FIFA Confederations Cup

FIFA Confederations Cup record
Year Round Position Pld W D * L GF GA Squad
Saudi Arabia 1992 Did Not Qualify
Saudi Arabia 1995
Saudi Arabia 1997
Mexico 1999
South Korea Japan 2001 Group Stage 6th 3 1 0 2 2 4 Squad
France 2003 Runners-up 2nd 5 3 1 1 3 1 Squad
Germany 2005 Did Not Qualify
South Africa 2009
Brazil 2013
Russia 2017 Group Stage 7th 3 0 1 2 2 6 Squad
Qatar 2021 TBD
Total Runners-up 3/10 11 4 2 5 7 11 -

Africa Cup of Nations record

Host nation(s) / Year Round Position GP W D* L GS GA
Sudan 1957
to
Tunisia 1965		Did Not Enter
Ethiopia 1968Did Not Qualify
Sudan 1970Group Stage5th320175
Cameroon 1972Third Place3rd5311105
Egypt 1974
to
Nigeria 1980		Did Not Qualify
Libya 1982Group Stage5th303011
Ivory Coast 1984Champions1st531193
Egypt 1986Runners-up2nd532085
Morocco 1988Champions1st532041
Algeria 1990Group Stage5th310223
Senegal 1992Fourth Place4th522143
Tunisia 1994Did Not Qualify
South Africa 1996Group Stage9th311157
Burkina Faso 1998Quarter-Finals8th421154
GhanaNigeria 2000Champions1st6321115
Mali 2002Champions1st651090
Tunisia 2004Quarter-Finals6th412176
Egypt 2006Quarter-Finals5th431082
Ghana 2008Runners-up2nd6402148
Angola 2010Quarter-Finals7th411268
Equatorial GuineaGabon 2012Did Not Qualify
South Africa 2013
Equatorial Guinea 2015Group Stage 13th 302123
Gabon 2017Champions1st633073
Cameroon 2019Qualified as host
Ivory Coast 2021To Be Determined
Guinea 2023
Total5 Titles19/298040251511972
*Red border color indicates tournament was held on home soil.

Summer Olympics

Olympic Games Record
Year Result Position GP W D* L GS GA
France 1900
to
Italy 1960		Did not enter
Japan 1964
to
West Germany 1972		Did not qualify
Canada 1976Did not enter
Soviet Union 1980Did not qualify
United States 1984Round 111th310235
South Korea 1988Did not qualify
Total—1/19310235
Football at the Summer Olympics has been an under-23 tournament since 1992.

Recent results and fixtures

  Win   Draw   Lose

2016

2017

Players

Current squad

The following 23 players have been selected for the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup.[8]
Caps and goals updated as of 25 June 2017 after the match against Germany.[9]

0#0 Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Fabrice Ondoa (1995-12-24) 24 December 1995 35 0 Spain Sevilla Atlético
16 1GK André Onana (1996-04-02) 2 April 1996 2 0 Netherlands Ajax
23 1GK Georges Bokwé (1989-07-14) 14 July 1989 0 0 Norway Mjøndalen
2 2DF Ernest Mabouka (1988-06-16) 16 June 1988 9 0 Israel Maccabi Haifa
4 2DF Adolphe Teikeu (1990-06-23) 23 June 1990 18 0 France Sochaux
5 2DF Michael Ngadeu-Ngadjui (1990-11-23) 23 November 1990 18 2 Czech Republic Slavia Prague
6 2DF Ambroise Oyongo (1991-06-22) 22 June 1991 32 2 Canada Montreal Impact
12 2DF Jérôme Guihoata (1994-10-07) 7 October 1994 8 0 Greece Panionios
19 2DF Collins Fai (1992-11-23) 23 November 1992 15 0 Belgium Standard Liège
21 2DF Lucien Owona (1990-08-09) 9 August 1990 1 0 Spain Alcorcón
22 2DF Jonathan Ngwem (1991-07-20) 20 July 1991 10 0 Angola Progresso
3 3MF André-Frank Zambo Anguissa (1995-11-16) 16 November 1995 7 1 France Marseille
8 3MF Benjamin Moukandjo (Captain) (1988-11-12) 12 November 1988 55 10 China Jiangsu Suning
14 3MF Georges Mandjeck (1988-12-09) 9 December 1988 41 0 France Metz
15 3MF Sébastien Siani (1986-12-21) 21 December 1986 22 2 Belgium Oostende
17 3MF Arnaud Djoum (1989-05-02) 2 May 1989 15 0 Scotland Heart of Midlothian
7 4FW Moumi Ngamaleu (1994-07-09) 9 July 1994 11 2 Austria Rheindorf Altach
9 4FW Jacques Zoua (1991-09-06) 6 September 1991 23 0 Germany 1. FC Kaiserslautern
10 4FW Vincent Aboubakar (1992-01-22) 22 January 1992 60 18 Turkey Beşiktaş
11 4FW Olivier Boumal (1989-09-17) 17 September 1989 2 0 China Liaoning Whowin
13 4FW Christian Bassogog (1995-10-18) 18 October 1995 15 2 China Henan Jianye
18 4FW Robert Tambe (1994-02-22) 22 February 1994 10 0 Turkey Adana Demirspor
20 4FW Karl Toko Ekambi (1992-09-14) 14 September 1992 17 2 France Angers

Recent call-ups

The following players have been called up for Cameroon's squad within the past 12 months.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Jules Goda (1989-05-30) 30 May 1989 3 0 France Ajaccio 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup PRE
GK Moise Pouaty (1996-01-19) 19 January 1996 0 0 United States Colorado Springs Switchbacks v.  Guinea, 28 March 2017
GK Guy N'dy Assembé (1986-02-28) 28 February 1986 16 0 France Nancy 2017 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
DF Mohammed Djetei (1994-08-18) 18 August 1994 13 0 Spain Gimnàstic 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup PRE
DF Jean-Charles Castelletto (1995-01-26) 26 January 1995 0 0 France Red Star 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup PRE
DF Serge Leuko (1993-08-04) 4 August 1993 1 0 Spain Lugo v.  Guinea, 28 March 2017
DF Nicolas Nkoulou (1990-03-27) 27 March 1990 75 2 France Lyon 2017 Africa Cup of Nations
DF Henri Bedimo (1984-06-04) 4 June 1984 52 5 France Marseille 2017 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
DF Aurélien Chedjou (1985-06-20) 20 June 1985 49 6 Turkey Galatasaray 2017 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
DF Joël Matip (1991-08-08) 8 August 1991 27 1 England Liverpool 2017 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
DF Allan Nyom (1988-05-10) 10 May 1988 16 2 England West Bromwich Albion 2017 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
DF Maxime Poundjé (1992-08-16)16 August 1992 (aged 24) 0 0 France Bordeaux 2017 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
MF Edgar Salli (1992-08-17) 17 August 1992 36 4 Germany 1. FC Nürnberg 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup PRE
MF Frank Boya (1996-07-01) 1 July 1996 8 0 Germany 1860 Munich 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup PRE
MF Petrus Boumal (1993-04-20) 20 April 1993 0 0 Bulgaria CSKA Sofia 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup PRE
MF Franck Kom (1991-09-18) 18 September 1991 14 0 Germany Karlsruher SC 2017 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
MF Ibrahim Amadou (1993-04-06) 6 April 1993 0 0 France Lille 2017 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
FW Jean-Pierre Nsamé (1993-05-01) 1 May 1993 0 0 Switzerland Servette 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup PRE
FW Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting (1989-03-23) 23 March 1989 44 13 England Stoke City v.  Guinea, 28 March 2017
FW Ketu Jih Kalvin (1997-06-06) 6 June 1997 0 0 Spain Alcobendas Levitt v.  Guinea, 28 March 2017
FW Duplex Tchamba (1998-07-10) 10 July 1998 0 0 Cameroon TAD Sport Academy v.  Guinea, 28 March 2017
FW Clinton N'Jie (1993-08-15) 15 August 1993 20 6 France Marseille 2017 Africa Cup of Nations
FW Anatole Abang (1996-07-06) 6 July 1996 6 1 Romania Astra Giurgiu 2017 Africa Cup of Nations PRE

DEC Player declined the call-up to the squad
INJ Player withdrew from the squad due to an injury
RET Retired from international football PRE Preliminary squad

In addition, the squad that participated in the 2016 African Nations Championship (which features only players registered with clubs in Cameroon, but matches count as full internationals) included several players not listed above.

Records

Caps and goals updated as of June 25, 2017.

Most caps
# Name Career Caps Goals
1 Rigobert Song 1993–2010 137 5
2 Samuel Eto'o 1997–2014 118 56
3 Geremi 1996–2010 118 13
4 Emmanuel Kundé 1979–1992 102 17
5 Roger Milla 1976–1994 77 43
6 Jacques Songo'o 1983–2002 76 0
7 Nicolas N'Koulou 2008– 75 2
8 François Omam-Biyik 1985–1998 73 26
9 Carlos Kameni 2001– 72 0
10 Pierre Womé 1995–2012 69 1

Top goalscorers
# Player Career Goals Caps
1 Samuel Eto'o 1997–2014 56 118
2 Roger Milla 1976–1994 43 77
3 Patrick M'Boma 1995–2004 33 55
4 François Omam-Biyik 1985–1998 26 73
5 Pierre Webó 2003–2014 19 59
6 Vincent Aboubakar 2010– 18 60
7 Emmanuel Kundé 1979–1992 17 102
8 André Kana-Biyik 1985–1994 15 59
9 Geremi 1996–2010 13 118
10 Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting 2010– 13 43

Managers

Dates Name
1960–1965 technical committee
1965–1970 France Dominique Colonna
1970 Cameroon Raymond Fobete
1970–1973 Germany Peter Schnittger
1973–1975 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Vladimir Beara
1976–1979 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Ivan Ridanović
1980–1982 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Branko Žutić
1982 France Jean Vincent
1982–1984 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Radivoje Ognjanović
1985–1988 France Claude Le Roy
1988–1990 Soviet Union Valery Nepomnyashchy
1990–1993 France Philippe Redon
Dates Name
1993–1994 Cameroon Jean Manga-Onguéné
1994 Cameroon Léonard Nseké
1994 France Henri Michel
1994–1996 Cameroon Jules Nyongha
1996–1997 Belgium Henri Depireux
1997–1998 Cameroon Jean Manga-Onguéné
1998 France Claude Le Roy
1998–2001 France Pierre Lechantre
2001 France Robert Corfou
2001 Cameroon Jean-Paul Akono
2001–2004 Germany Winfried Schäfer
2004–2006 Portugal Artur Jorge
Dates Name
2006–2007 Netherlands Arie Haan
2007 Cameroon Jules Nyongha
2007–2009 Germany Otto Pfister
2009 Cameroon Thomas N'Kono
2009–2010 France Paul Le Guen
2010–2011 Spain Javier Clemente
2011–2012 France Denis Lavagne
2012–2013 Cameroon Jean-Paul Akono
2013–2015 Germany Volker Finke
2015–2016 Cameroon Alexandre Belinga
2016– Belgium Hugo Broos

Honours

Quarter-Final (1): 1990
Winners (5): 1984, 1988, 2000, 2002, 2017
Runners-up (1): 2003
Winners (1): 2000

See also

References

  1. ↑ "9 Samuel ETOO". FIFA.com. Archived from the original on 18 June 2014. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
  2. ↑ "Cameroon wins Africa Cup of Nations". Daily Nation. Retrieved 2017-02-09.
  3. ↑ "Top Cards – France 1998". fifa.com. Retrieved November 21, 2009.
  4. ↑ "Indomitable Lions roar through to record sixth finals". ESPN. 2009-11-14. Retrieved 2010-02-04.
  5. ↑ "Fifa bans Cameroon shirts". BBC Sport. 2002-03-09. Retrieved 2009-11-14.
  6. ↑ "FIFA Confederations Cup France 2003". fifa.com. 2003-06-18. Retrieved 2017-06-18.
  7. ↑ "Africa Cup of Nations 2017: Cameroon 2-1 Egypt". BBC Sport. 5 February 2017. Retrieved 30 July 2017.
  8. ↑ "Coupe des Confédérations : la liste finale du Cameroun".
  9. ↑ "Cameroon".
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