Before arriving in Ghana, 2016 runners-up Cameroon are the latest to set up an acclimatization camp in neighbouring Ivory Coast for the upcoming Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.
After a local preparation made difficult by lack of resources and last-minute technical team beef-up by the Fecafoot Normalization Committee, head coach Joseph Ndocko finally led his final squad of 21 players to the West African Nation on Friday where they will train for close to a week.
In his squad, the coach kept faith with 14 members of the squad who lost to Nigeria in the finals of the last Women’s Afcon on home soil. The Cameroonians have sights on a first ever title after coming very close four times. They were runners-up in 1991, 2004, 2014 and at the recent edition in 2016.
Cameroon’s squad boasts of 2015 African Women’s Player of the Year Gaelle Enganamouit as well as the best player of the last Women’s Afcon Gabrielle Aboudi Onguene while free-scoring striker Ajara Nchout who has 15 goals and 6 assists in 19 games for her Swedish club IL Sandviken is also expected to shine at the Afcon.
The Indomitable Lionesses have adopted Bella Stadium in Abidjan for their training sessions.
Cameroon will be heading for Accra – where they will stay for all their group matches – by Tuesday ahead of their tournament opener against Mali on November 17. The match with kickoff set at 1830 GMT will be the second fixture on the opening day of the competition.
Ghana and Algeria will face off in the first match of the 2018 Women’s Afcon and that of Group A at 15:30 GMT at the Accra Sports Stadium.
Ndocko’s ladies will play Algeria and hosts Ghana on November 20 and 23 respectively to complete their group games.
Cameroon squad:
Goalkeepers:
Annette Ngo Ndom (FAP Amazone), Diane Ndeme Bayegla (Caiman FC), Marthe Ongmahan (Awa FC)
Defenders:
Christine Manie (Nancy, France), Marie Awona (Dijon, France), Augustine Edjangue Siliki (Santa Theresa, Spain), Claudine Meffometou (Guingamp, France), Yvonne Leuko (Strasbourg, France)
Midfielders:
Raissa Feudjio (Alan United, Finland), Genevieve Ngo Mbeleck (Huelva, Spain), Grace Ngock Yango (Saint Malo, France), Francine Zouga, Marlyse Ngo Ndoumbouk (both of Nancy, France), Therese Abena (Louves Minproff), Michelle Akaba (Besiktas, Turkey)
Forwards:
Madelaine Ngono Mani (Albi Croix, France), Gaelle Enganamouit (Avaldnes, Norway), Gabrielle Aboudi Onguene (CSKA Moscow, Russia), Michaela Abam (Paris FC, France), Charlene Meyong Menene (Louves Minproff), Nchout Njoya Ajara (IL Sandviken, Sweden)
