After the initial fanfare of the hiring of Cameroonian legend Rigobert Song to be the national team’s manager ahead of their 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Algeria, now the pressure is on the former national team defender to get the job done later in March. Song’s appointment has seen a mixed reaction from Cameroonian supporters with the former player being immensely popular while lacking experience as a manager. Song’s previous two spells as manager with the Cameroon domestic-based national team and its Under-23 side saw his teams both eliminated in the group stage at the 2018 African Nations Championship and the 2019 Africa U-23 Cup of Nations.
Song is currently in Europe and is meeting with several dual national players, but the most significant of his meetings is with the parents of Liverpool center back Joël Matip in Germany. Matip has had a fractured relationship with the Cameroonian Football Federation (FECAFOOT) since prematurely ending his national team career in 2015, but with new president Samuel Eto’o and Song on board perhaps Matip will have a change of heart to return for the crucial games against Algeria.
