Cameroon coach, Hugo Broos believes that players who snubbed the call up to represent the country in the just concluded African Cup of Nations, AFCON, in Gabon were regretting their decision after the Indomitable Lions’ lifted the title.
A triumph in Gabon was seemingly unlikely for Cameroon after as many as eight players, including Liverpool defender Joel Matip, declined call-ups before the start of the tournament.
Broos said after the 2-1 win over Egypt, “There was a lot of trouble before, players who wouldn’t come with us.
“OK, it’s their decision. But maybe they are saying now to themselves, ‘S—! Why didn’t I go with them?’
“Yes [the title] shows the character, but that I knew from the beginning.
“I said a few times, I do not have 23 players, I have 23 friends. It’s really unbelievable… I think this is the reason why we won.”
After an unimpressive group stage which saw them drew with Burkina Faso and hosts Gabon and a slim win over Guinea-Bissau, the Indomitable Lions won three successive knockout games, advancing past Senegal and Ghana to reach Sunday’s final.
Broos added, “We came here and I think nobody thought we would go so far.
“We tried to get through the first round. We did it. So we said, ‘OK, let’s see what happens against Senegal.’ We won the game again.
“Then you get a boost of confidence and from that time we believed that if we got a bit lucky we could win the final.”
The African Champions will be up against other continental champions at this summer’s FIFA Confederations Cup in Russia, and Broos said the Lions must still get better.
He added, “We still have to improve. That’s proved by the first half. We were not good first half, certainly not the first 25 minutes. So this is something we have to work on.
“We thought from the beginning that Egypt would try to score very quick, but you see we can’t control such situations, so there’s still a lot to do.”
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