The Intermediate Indomitable Lions of Cameroon will be without regular forward Marou Souaibou when the 2022 African Nations championship gets underway next January in Algeria.
The former Cotonsport of Garoua winger who skippered the Cameroon team during the qualifiers and scored against Equatorial Guinea in the final round of matches leading to the tournament has excused himself from the team as he finalizes details to move abroad.
kick442.com understands Souaibou who was named in Cameroon’s provisional squad for the tournament and expected to be one of the stars has told the staff he can’t make it, thus leading to the call up of Roche Foning of Union Sportive of Douala who was on the waiting.
It was first thought that Souaibou will be registered by Pirates in January and allowed to play the CHAN before joining his mates. Unfortunately the former Cotonsport man has other ideas.
Photo Credit: FIFA Media
Souaibou, 22 – current Cameroon footballer of the year and part of the Indomitable Lions squad at the 2022 FIFA World Cup hasn’t played for since he return and is expected to move to South Africa for completion a switch to DStv Premiership giants Orlando Pirates in the days ahead.
The player has agreed a bumper deal with the Bucs which automatically puts him out of the CHAN – a competition reserved for players plying their trade in their national championship.
Souaibou’s absence means Cameroon will only have Jerome Ngom Mbeleki with World Cup experience when they arrive Algeria for the country’s fifth attempt to get goal from the event.
Pirates could have the former Under-23 and current Indomitable Lions’ forward from the moment their professional commitments begin in the early days of next year.
It is not the first time a Cameroon player leaves on the eve of the CHAN. In 2018 captain Souleymanou Moussa left days before Rigobert Song’s men boarded for Morocco. Same can be said about Simon Medjo Loti Omossola and Thierry Akono Alain who sacrificed participation in the the CHAN 2020 in Cameroon to move to AS Vita Club and Azam FC respectively.
The 18 nations CHAN 2022 in Algeria will get underway on January 13 and run to February 5 across four cities.
Cameroon under coach Alioum Saidou are in group E alongside Niger and the Republic of Congo.
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