Martin Etonge BBC Sport, Yaounde

Coton are the league holders

A controversial new league format will kick off the Cameroon season which begins on Saturday.

It will be the first time in 44 years that the Cameroon Football Federation (Fecafoot) has changed the existing round-robin two-round formula.

The new system will see the top division increased to 18 clubs, with the league split into two groups of nine teams each.

Each group of nine will be played on a home and away basis, after which the top four clubs will qualify for the Super League while the bottom club in each group will be demoted.

The four clubs left in between will contest what is called a National League to determine which two other clubs will be demoted.

In the past, sixteen clubs went in for a straight two-round championship.

Fecafoot officials say the old system was no longer producing strong representatives for continental competitions.

"The new format will force clubs to start competing seriously from day one in order to enter the more remunerative Super League or at least to avoid relegation," argues Fecafoot secretary general Jean Rene Atangana.

"In the past, clubs could afford to start lazily, hoping to catch up in the later part of the championship.

"That will not happen from this season onwards because if a club loses its first four games, it enters the danger zone of relegation."

However, the reform has not been accepted by everyone.

Some football officials think the change is uncalled for, saying there is little difference between the old and new formats.

"Apart from the two clubs who get demoted after the first round, the remaining clubs will play an equal number of matches as in the old format," said one Fecafoot board member.

"So we could not increase the number of division one clubs by two and let the others continue in the old system."

In a bid to convince clubs to adhere to the new format, Fecafoot will pay big prizes to the league's eventual winners.

For the first time, the winners will get a prize of about US $12,500, while the runners up will collect around US $10,000.