Milla calls for loyal Cameroon locals to be picked

Milla, whose record as the oldest man to play at a World Cup finals was broken by 43-year-old Colombia goalkeeper Faryd Mondragon on Tuesday, also called for Cameroon's German coach Volker Finke to be sacked.

Cameroon lost all three of their Group A matches in Brazil, the second successive World Cup in which they failed to win any points.

"If our national team is performing so badly it is not because we lack good players. Our problem is poor management," Milla told local media.

"For me, I think instead of a foreigner, it is high time our government should recruit somebody based in the country and (who) knows local players very well, who are more patriotic, and will work hard to defend our national interests and boost the image of our country as some of us did when we were playing.

The Cameroon squad's departure for the finals in Brazil was preceded by a strike over bonus payments.

"We did not focus much on what we earn like the players of today. Our main ambition was to boost the image of the country," said Milla.

"That is why each time we were playing any international match here at the national stadium, many football fans would come and cheer us on to win the match.

"But today you don't see many people at the stadium again as was the case during our days,” said Milla, who as a 42-year-old scored at the 1994 World Cup finals.

Half of the Cameroon squad arrived home from Brazil on Wednesday to a low key reception amid tight security.

The rest of the party, including Finke, are understood to have flown directly back to Europe or stayed on in Brazil.