The African Cup of Nations, also called AFCON, kicks off on 22 December this year. So several Premier League teams will miss key players.
Take Manchester United, for instance, they will be short of a few player due to international duties.
The opener starts with Morocco facing Comoros. Manchester United star Noussair Mazraoui should take part for Morocco in this match.
Also, Amad Diallo, along with Bryan Mbeumo, are heading off to AFCON for their national teams. Still, a key player at United won’t need to go.
His country’s team surprised all fans when they left him out of the AFCON squad completely.
Yeah, Cameroon shocked the continent by naming their AFCON team without Andre Onana, and now supporters and analysts are all asking why.
The United keeper is now out on loan in Turkey for the season. He was meant to step up as leader following his big part in getting them through qualifying.
His name just wasn’t anywhere on the list. That shock hit right when the federation revealed a sudden shift in coaching leadership.
David Pagou, who’s 56 and coached locally since 2019, is now leading the national team – only a few weeks ahead of the tournament start.
The moment just made things feel even messier about how Cameroon got ready.
Onana being left out sparked doubts about team conflicts, while hinting at Eto’o’s rising power behind the scenes.
The goalkeeper has had a few disagreements with the national setup lately, so some think the old issues might’ve popped up again.
Cameroon’s trip to Morocco includes big players such as Bryan Mbeumo, though Frank Anguissa is also part of it, yet things feel shaky within the team.
While Carlos Baleba joins them, there’s no real sense of confidence hanging over the group. Losing Onana, a keeper with 53 caps, made fans nervous.
With AFCON nearing, Cameroon’s rocky preparations have become a major talking point away from the games.
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