Appointed coach of the Central African Republic team to everyone's surprise three days ago, Cameroonian legend Rigobert Song spoke his first words to the press on Wednesday.
Nobody saw it coming. Apart from its notable arrival in Bangui the very day of his appointment, and which had struck a chord in public opinion. Monday evening, Rigobert Song was appointed coach of Bamara de Bas-Oubangui by ministerial decree.
The 48-year-old technician had been unemployed since the end of February 2024 and his non-renewal at the technical helm of the Indomitable Lions of Cameroonwhere he is a living legend thanks to his record of selections (137 caps, 4 goals), punctuated by two consecutive CAN titles (2000, 2002).
To date, his induction, which resembles that of his successor in Cameroon, Marc Brys, by the Ministry of Sports, is keenly contested by the Central African Football Federation (FCF). Like Samuel Eto'o's Fecafoot vis-à-vis his supervisory minister last year, the body criticizes the government for not having involved it in the recruitment process.
Rigobert Song “determined”
As expected, this did not prevent the Executive from officially presenting its new star on Wednesday to the press. And, like Marc Brys on April 8 in Yaoundé, Rigobert Song did not run wild in a hostile environment, far from it.
-On the contrary, the former defender has fully assumed his new role, saying he is determined to fulfill his mission. This time, without maxim, or punchline of which he has the secret. Perhaps he kept some for his next outings!
“Training the Fauves is not just a job. This is a remarkable opportunity that I deeply appreciate. I am delighted and will dedicate myself fully to this task. I am fully aware of the expectations that come with this position and I am determined to work alongside my technical team and other federation officials to ensure we qualify for the various phases of international matches.”
In the meantime, the forty-year-old is already working on his work. As illustrated by images relayed on the Web, the person concerned carried out inspection visits to the stadiums this Thursday with a view to the resumption of qualifying at the 2026 World Cup next March.
Unless there is a change of heart, Song will make his debut with the Bamara during the matches against Madagascar and Mali, counting for the fifth and sixth days respectively. Geoffrey Kondogbia's teammates are fifth out of six teams in Group I (4 points), five points behind the qualifying places.
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