Central African Republic: who is actually the national team coach?
A week after the sports minister unveiled Rigobert Song as coach, confusion still reigns in the Central African Republic
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A photo with the head of state, a press conference alongside sports minister Héritier Doneng: Rigobert Song was unveiled with great fanfare in Bangui as Central African Republic coach. Ambitious and enthusiastic, the Cameroonian coach was quickly brought down to earth by a statement from the Central African Football Federation, which voiced its disapproval at not having been kept informed of the minister's plans.
In fact, despite the official announcement of his arrival, Song has signed no contract. The muddle raises a major question: who exactly is the coach of the Bamaras ?
Read also: Central African Republic: Rigobert Song has not (yet) signed his contract
Eloge Enza-Yamissi was not in the loop either
Since Raoul Savoy's departure in November, the former Fauves captain, Eloge Enza-Yamissi, had been in caretaker charge. "The minister and the federation came to get me", he tells Sport News Africa.
Beaten in his first two games, which meant missing out on qualification for the 2025 AFCON, he nevertheless retained the federation's backing, as it wanted a Central African coach.
While preparing the next World Cup 2026 qualifiers with his staff, he was therefore not informed of Song's arrival and of his own demotion to assistant. "I saw it like everyone else", he says. "We'll see what happens now."
For the federation, the choice of Enza-Yamissi is not up for debate. It remains to be seen whether the minister, who is also at odds with the Central African Olympic Committee, will reverse his decision and ease relations that are damaging to the development of the national game.