Rigobert Song believes the Africa Cup of Nations returning to Ivory Coast could be a harbinger of good fortune for Cameroon ahead of their opening fixture against Guinea.
The only previous occasion the Ivorians had staged the tournament in 1984 was when Cameroon went all the way, coming from behind to beat Nigeria 3-1 in the final in Abidjan.
It was their first taste of success in the competition and – while they have lifted the trophy on four more occasions since then – Song sees the symbolism attached to their return to Ivory Coast.
The Cameroon head coach said in quotes on the tournament’s official website: “Why not repeat history and repeat the feat of 1984? We did not come just to participate.
“There is a history between Cameroon and Cote d’Ivoire. We were heroes in 1984 and I think we should not forget the history.
“We are a family. We won our first title in here and that’s why we visited the grave of the first president of Cote d’Ivoire when we came here.”
Cameroon will be without captain and star striker Vincent Aboubakar, who suffered a thigh injury on Friday that places a question mark over his availability for the rest of the campaign.
Speaking ahead of Cameroon’s Group C opener, Song said: “The absence of Aboubakar is a loss because he is a leader and has shown his ability for years. The other players are ready.”
Cameroon, who settled for a third-place finish in 2021, will take on defending champions Senegal after Guinea but Song was wary of looking too far ahead.
Song added: “The first matches in such competitions are very important, we will be ready. All teams that will participate in the competition come with certain goals.
“Guinea is a good team and we also know who we are going to face and we will give everything we have.”