Afcon 2024 squads: Onana makes cut for Cameroon but Choupo-Moting dropped
Cameroon coach Rigobert Song included the Manchester United goalkeeper André Onana, but dropped Bayern Munich striker Eric-Maxime Choupo Moting when he named their squad for next month’s Africa Cup of Nations finals on Thursday.
Onana, 27, had walked out on Cameroon after a row with Song at last year’s World Cup in Qatar but returned after a reconciliation with the coach to help Cameroon qualify for the Cup of Nations finals in the Ivory Coast, which gets under way on 13 January. Choupo Moting, who made his debut for the Indomitable Lions at the 2010 World Cup, paid a price for having missed Cameroon’s last three outings.
“Choupo Moting is a very good player. But my staff and I want the continuity of recent times. He is an important player, but we had to make a choice in line with what we have been doing for some time now,” Song told a press conference as he named his 27-man squad.
Cameroon will be without the Brentford striker Bryan Mbeumo, who underwent surgery on his right ankle earlier this month. Song surprised with the selection of 17-year-old Wilfried Nathan Doualla, who plays in the Cameroon league and has never been previously called up.
It will be a fifth Cup of Nations finals appearance for captain Vincent Aboubakar. Cameroon play Guinea on 15 January in their opening Group C game before also meeting holders Senegal and Gambia.
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Chancel Mbemba will captain the Democratic Republic of Congo, named in a 24-man squad for the tournament, but there was no place for Luton Town’s Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu in the selection named by coach Sébastien Desabre. He also left out former England under-21 international Axel Tuanzebe, who had been named in the pre-selected earlier this month plus ex-Fulham midfielder Neeskens Kebano.