By Ignace Mizuh in Yaounde

Schafer said Mboma ruled himself out

Cameroon manager Winfried Schafer has said that Patrick Mboma will not be able to rejoin the Indomitable Lions squad owing to his indiscipline.

Mboma retired from international football on the eve of June's Confederations Cup in France but announced last month that he was keen to play in next year's Nations Cup in Tunisia.

Yet Schafer dismissed a possible return for the 33-year-old, who refused to play at the Confederations Cup because he was dissatisfied with the poor treatment of players by Cameroon officials.

"Before the Confederations Cup, Mboma told me that he will not be playing again and then he went further to organise a press conference," the German coach explained in Yaounde.

"I took that as indiscipline on his part, so I cannot include him into a group that is already disciplined."

Mboma seeks return

However, Mboma, who plays for Japanese side Verdy Tokyo, has been invited to take part in the memorial match in honour of former team-mate and friend Marc-Vivien Foe on 11 November in Lyon, France.

Alongside Arsenal full-back Lauren Etame Mayer and the Bundesliga-based Raymond Kalla, Mboma forms part of a trio of players that have been complaining about the chaotic fashion in which Cameroon officials ran the country's football.

I cannot include him Winfried Schafer

Schafer has been quick to dispel possibilities of the three players being reintegrated into the Cameroon squad for the friendly against Japan on 19 November.

"We have built a new young team which has a lot of force, ambition and hope," the Indomitable Lions coach explained.

"The situation within the team is positive because discipline is reigning and this discipline is not only limited to football but both within the administration and organisation of the team.

"Thanks to this discipline we had good results during the Confederations Cup."

Cameroon reached the final of the France-based tournament but their performance was overshadowed by the death of midfielder Marc-Vivien Foe in the semi-final against Colombia on 26 June in Lyon.