Bangui

Former Cameroon captain and coach Rigobert Song has been appointed to take charge of the Central African Republic’s national team by the country’s sports ministry, a decision rejected by the football federation on Tuesday.

The 48-year-old Song, who played as a central defender for his country at four World Cups and then coached the Indomitable Lions at the finals in Qatar in 2022, met with the country’s president Faustin-Archange Touadera on Monday after which his appointment was announced by a government decree.

But the Central African Football Federation said it had learned “with dismay and surprise through social networks” of the decree and “was not consulted in the taking of this decision”.

It said it rejected the appointment but “would like to avoid any action aimed at creating an unnecessary crisis between the ministry in charge of sports and the body in charge of management of Central African football”.

In several African countries, the government pays the salary of the national coach, giving them undue influence in the running of football matters.

Song succeeds Swiss coach Raoul Savoy, who was fired in October during their unsuccessful Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign.

The Central African Republic is, however, still involved in World Cup qualification and resumes their campaign in March with home matches against Madagascar and Mali.

They sit in fifth place in Group I with four points from four matches, five behind co-leaders Comoros and Ghana.

Song, whose club career took in spells at Liverpool, West Ham United, Racing Lens and Galatasaray, had a confrontation with Andre Onana during the last World Cup that led to the goalkeeper leaving the tournament in Qatar.