Injury plague continues for Cameroon

Two more Cameroonian players have been declared unfit for their final African Cup of Nations qualifier on Friday.

Schalke’s Joel Matip and Anzhi Makhachkala’s Benoit Angbwa both pulled out of the 21-man squad for the must-win encounter against the Democratic Republic of Congo in Kinshasa after their injuries were confirmed by the Cameroon Football Federation (Fecafoot) yesterday.

Two other players figuring in the original squad, SD Lomena striker Ngako Duvalois and Dinamo Bucarest’s Andogcho Mbuta, have not been able to travel to Brussels where the team is currently training.

Duvalois is held up in Spain by administrative issues while Mbuta, who recently moved from the United States to Romania, couldn’t obtain a visa for Belgium.

“Despite the intervention of Cameroon ambassador to Romania, the Belgian embassy there refused to issue a visa to Andogcho Mbuta,” Fecafoot press attache Linus Pascal Fouda told L’Equipe.

Astres de Douala’s defender Jean-Patrick Abouna Ndzana has been summoned to camp to replace Angbwa.

Goalkeeper Guy-Roland N’dy Assembe and Lille centre back Aurelien Chedjou had earlier been replaced in the squad due to injuries.

Cameroon and DR Congo are both vying for the second-place in Group E after leaders Senegal clinched their ticket to next year’s Cup of Nations finals in the previous round.

The Leopards forced the Indomitable Lions to a 1-1 draw in the reverse fixture played a year ago in Garoua, Cameroon.

Regardless of the qualifying result, Cameroon are also set to play a friendly against Equatorial Guinea, co-host of the 2012 Afcon, on October 11 in Malabo.