FC Nantes accused of ‘double standards’ by Cameroon over U17 World Cup call-up

The Cameroon Football Federation (Fecafoot), led by Samuel Eto’o, has accused FC Nantes of discriminatory treatment after the club refused to release 17-year-old defender Lilian Djeudje for the Under-17 World Cup in Qatar.

The tournament runs from 19 November to 13 December, but Nantes has declined to make the versatile central defender available to Cameroon. Fecafoot has responded by formally taking the matter up with the French club.

The federation’s complaint comes despite Cameroon welcoming several young players from leading European clubs into its squad. Those selected include Alfred Kotto of Real Madrid, Aviel Hentcho of Bayern Munich, Bassirou Nkoto of Manchester United and William Gueke of Manchester City.

In a letter sent to the president of “Les Canaris” on 10 November, Fecafoot criticised what it described as inconsistent treatment of two Nantes players. The correspondence was signed by the federation’s secretary general, Isaac Noe Mandong.

While Djeudje has not been released for the tournament, his team-mate Loan Merrifield has been allowed to join France U17 for the competition.

Fecafoot said the contrasting decisions amounted to “deux poids, deux mesures” “double standards” and raised concerns over possible discrimination. The organisation also said the decision appeared to carry racist overtones and could damage Cameroon.

The federation used the letter to renew its request for Nantes to release Djeudje, warning that continued refusal could further strengthen suspicions of discriminatory treatment towards the player.

Cameroon will begin its World Cup campaign in Group K against Venezuela in Doha on 21 November. Thomas Libiih’s side will then face Mexico on 24 November before completing the group stage against Romania on 27 November.

The top two teams in each group, along with the eight best third-placed sides, will progress to the round of 16.

This will be Cameroon’s third appearance at the Under-17 World Cup, following previous participation in 2003 and 2019. The team, referred to as the Lionceaux de l’Atlas in the source, have never progressed beyond the group stage.