Cameroon rebuilds team

Cameroon need a fresh start after a controversial World Cup campaign and the retirement of talismanic captain Samuel Eto'o when they begin their African Nations Cup qualifying campaign on Saturday, coach Volker Finke said.

"This is a fresh start for Cameroon, after the Brazilian World Cup, which is still likely to haunt our minds for a long time," he said. "I've had to standardise many things and this is why I have made some sharp changes in the selection of the players.

"The idea is a balance between youth and experience, to build a competitive team for a better future. The talent is there, but you have to train them.

"It is possible that it can take a while but not too much," added the veteran German coach, whose contract expires after next year's Nations Cup finals. Cameroon begin their qualifiers away against the DRC in Lubumbashi and then host Ivory Coast on Wednesday in Yaounde in a difficult start to the Group D fixtures.

Cameroon had a dreadful World Cup, losing all three Group A matches as they arrived on the back of a strike by their squad over promised payments for participation.

During the tournament, two of their players fought on the field and midfielder Alex Song got a three-match suspension for a vicious elbow in the back of Croatia's Mario Mandzukic. He sits out the two Nations Cup qualifiers as a result. The team was later accused of match-fixing.