By Martin Etonge In Yaounde

The Federation of Cameroon football (Fecafoot) have appointed undercover match inspectors to monitor the performance of referees.

Several charges of corruption have been levelled at referees, who have been accused of taking bribes from clubs to fix matches.

The undercover inspectors will make confidential reports to the secretary-general of Fecafoot, which will focus on the quality of officiating and the conduct of the home fans.

Fecafoot official Atangana Mballa says heavy sanctions await defaulting referees.

" We don't want extraneous factors to influence results of games.

"We must do all we can to clean the league of corruption. Match officials found wanting would be punished but we will also reward the best referees," Mballa said.

With a cut in the referees list from 65 to 40 for next season, Mballa says there will be no room for referees of questionable character.

But club officials doubt the seriousness of Fecafoot's new measures.

"What guarantee is there that the inspector's knowledge of football is sufficient to effectively assess the referees and match commissioner?," one club official asked.

Many believe the inspectors will reveal their identities and become trapped in the web of corruption.