CAF U-23 AFCON: Cameroon Look To Realize Olympic Dream Again

After successive losses at the preliminary rounds of the previous editions, Cameroon have finally earned the pleasure of playing at the U-23 Africa Cup of Nations, Egypt 2019.

The 2000 Olympic champions who made history after beating Spain on post-match penalties in a tightly contested Gold Medal match in Sydney, Australia, have been presented with yet another opportunity to earn a place on the Olympic podium.

But to get there, Cameroon have a duty to give their all in their inaugural participation at the U-23 Afcon which kicks off in the Egyptian capital, Cairo on 8 November.

Guided by legend Rigobert Song, he has built a team around locally-based players with the inclusion of selected foreign-based stars to boost their profile and constitute a backbone for the U-23 Indomitable Lions.

They are drawn in Pool A alongside hosts Egypt, Mali and Ghana.

Cameroon is seeking a return to the Olympic Games for the first time since 2008 when they fell off in the quarterfinals where they lost out to Brazil who sounded revenge on the Cameroonians who beat them at the same stage just eight years earlier in their victorious campaign in Sydney.

Journey to qualification
Cameroon punched a first-ever ticket to the U-23 Afcon on 10 September, and they narrowly did so. They won by a slim 1-0 margin in the first leg in Yaounde against Tunisia and went on to lose the return in Rades 2-1, going through on the away goal rule after a 2-2 tie on aggregate.

Preparation for the final tournament
Cameroon has been preparing for their debut in the tournament and have had a training camp in Hungary where they played two friendly matches, winning 1-0 against Mezokovesd Zsory FC (0-1) and losing by a similar margin to CFB Siofok, both Hungarian top-flight clubs.

The friendly ties afforded Song and his backroom staff the perfect opportunity to pick the best squad for Egypt.