The players will have their first training session this afternoon since the disgraceful ousting from the World Cup. The Indomitable Lions resume international duty today over a month after the disgraceful ousting from the World Cup in South Africa. The players of the national football team will this afternoon have the first of their two training sessions ahead of the encounter against Poland next Wednesday, August 11 as well as make a reconnaissance visit to the venue of the event.

The training will be conducted by Jacques Songo’o, the lone member of the technical bench of the Lions still in office, following the resignation of Frenchman Paul Le Guen alongside his acolytes.

Much water has passed under the bridge during the six weeks recess. Firstly, it is a transformed Lion’s squad that will take on Poland in a friendly given that seven of the players who took part in the disappointing expedition in South Africa, were dropped from the squad: Rigobert Song, Alexandre Song, Njitap Fotso, Achille Webo, Idrissou Mohamadou, Souleymanou, Idriss Carlos Kameni and Achille Emana Edzimbi. Some say the omission of some players was under influence from the team captain, Samuel Eto’o, while others were excluded as a punitive measure as they are held responsible for polluting the atmosphere in the national team.

Secondly, the emblematic captain of the Indomitable Lions, Rigobert Song, put an end to his international career after 16 years of loyal service to the nation in a move that was considered a consequence of the World Cup disaster.

Though football authorities had announced that the match against Poland will be taking place under the guidance of a new coach, it is now evident; this will no longer be possible. However, information filtering out of the Ministry of Sports and Physical Education say the appointment of a new coach is imminent and that the procedure was following its due course.

The friendly against Poland is to enable the Lions overcome the trauma of the World Cup which has greatly sapped the moral of the players ahead of the beginning of qualifiers for the African cup of Nations in 2012 in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.