Controversy has erupted in the Central African Republic following the appointment of Rigobert Song as the new head coach of the national football team.
After Raoul Savoy’s dismissal in October, interim duties were handled by former team captain Eloge Enza Yamissi, who led the team in just two matches. However, the unexpected decision to replace Yamissi with Rigobert Song has caused uproar—not for the choice of coach but for the manner of his appointment. The 48-year-old was named by the Ministry of Sports rather than the Central African Football Federation (CAF).
The CAF expressed its frustration in a public statement, claiming it was blindsided by the news: “The Central African Football Federation learned with dismay and surprise through social networks of the decree (…) concerning the appointment of the national team A coaches.”
The statement also emphasized that such decisions fall exclusively under the jurisdiction of the federation’s executive committee. Rigobert Song’s appointment came via a decree signed by Sports Minister Rodolphe Héritier Bonheur Doneng Wazoumon, sparking questions about the proper protocols and raising tensions between the ministry and the federation.
