Going to Africa’s biggest football tournament or staying in Europe, hoping for a few minutes of playing time? The choice is clear to most: representing your country can’t be topped. But an Olympique de Marseille’s Cameroonian youngster has other ideas.Francois-Regis Mughe’s decision has caused quite a stir in recent hours. The young forward from Marseille, called up by Cameroon to participate in the Africa Cup of Nations, reportedly decided not to honour his call-up to stay with the club and take advantage of gaining playing time under the management of Gennaro Gattuso. 🇨🇵Marseille winger, François-Régis Mughe🇨🇲 has declined the call-up from the Cameroon 🇨🇲 national team in order to focus on club football during the period.The 19-year-old was named in coach Rigobert Song’s final squad for the AFCON. pic.twitter.com/QCG7WuME4C— Eric NDAGIJIMANA®️ (@EricNdagije250) January 3, 2024 Mughe’s decision is incomprehensible to former French footballer and now-experienced journalist Jean-Michel Larque.”That’s not how you earn your place. If there is an epidemic of smallpox, only then you’ll play. It shocks me. Little Mughe, the day they don’t call him up, he will be the first to go crying to his mother’s apron! You have to know what you want in life. I have the feeling that many are playing around with this. I give them some mitigating circumstances because this AFCON every two years is not normal. But when you are called up to a national team, even in a competition that, in my opinion, loses some of its interest because it returns too often, you can’t refuse. It’s not possible.”##NAJAVA_MECA_7778378##French 1998 World Cup-winning striker Christophe Dugarry, who believes that a call-up “cannot be turned down,” acknowledges that the Douala-born winger could benefit from this situation, considering the numerous absences at Marseille during the AFCON period.”I think there are special cases. He’s a guy who has never experienced the national team; he won’t play in the Africa Cup of Nations. He’s already not playing much at OM. So, at the age of 19, choices have to be made. Perhaps he’ll have time to play again with Cameroon when he is better equipped. For this guy, the priority is to have playing time at his club and to join the national team when he is more established, mature, and confident in himself and his abilities.”Will it be sixth time lucky for Cameroon in AFCON 2023?Finally, Larque also criticizes the increasing absences for the competition in recent days, stating that he’d never seen so many players report back injured following a Christmas break in Ligue 1.As a reminder, Amine Gouiri notably had to withdraw, causing a dispute between the Algerian national team and Stade Rennais due to an alleged lack of communication between the Fennecs and the Breton club.
