20100810
africanews

Indomitable Lions captain, Samuel Fils Eto'o has described former captain's retirement from international football as not befitting, considering his contribution to the team. Eto'o made the observation in an open letter he wrote to Rigobert Song, from the US where he is currently on pre-season tour with his club Inter Milan.

This is Eto’s second letter after the first he wrote to Cameroon’s Roving Ambassador Roger Milla.

According to Eto’o, Song’s retirement should go beyond announcing it in a press conference. “In 1998, when I arrived amongst the Indomitable Lions, I had the pleasure to mix with seniors like Patrick Mboma, Marc Vivien Foe, Raymond Kalla and of course you. These are the moments that are remarkable to any young player and I have very fond memories.

“Rigobert, you do not deserve to go by a simple press conference. We who have been teammates in the national team with you are calling for a more solemn retirement. Cameroon Sports officials have a duty to organize a befitting gala match to honour Song’s contributions to football and to the Indomitable Lions,” the Inter Milan forward said.

“Few players can boast of Song’s record with the national team, you will surely hold a jubilee when you quit your club career, but the country’s sports authorities should have the duty to organize a tribute game for everything that you brought to our country, well beyond a simple jubilee. You won two African Cups of Nations, you were finalist in the Confederations Cup, you have participated in four finals of the World Cup, you hold the record for most number of matches played during the CAN, you were captain national team for ten years. Very few people can match such a record with the Indomitable Lions,” he added.

Eto’o stated that he took the liberty to write an open letter so as to include Cameroonians and sports lovers in the debate.

As the press sought to know from Song who actually was the problem in the team; himself or Eto’o Fils, Song metaphorically asked if a father could deliver a child and allow that child to spoil what he had worked to build? He declared, “I have never spoken of the difficult moments in the team, I respect all that, but what has been said about me is faulty, I stayed where I was told to”.

Song served the Indomitable Lions for 16 years; 10 of them as captain. Now retired from the Lions’ den, the central defender told journalists he will focus on his Turkish club, Trabzonspor.