Patrick Mboma has confirmed that he has applied for the post of Cameroon head coach, revealing that Algeria's Africa Cup of Nations-winning manager Djamel Belmadi was influential in his decision.
The Indomitable Lions are without a permanent coach after Dutchman Clerence Seedorf was fired in July following failure to defend the Afcon title in Egypt.
With the job up for grabs, Mboma has told local sources that he is interested in the job, and has already applied for the position.
“Djamel Belmadi convinced me that it was not as complicated as it seemed," Mboma told journalists, as per Camfoot. "The way he told me things managed to persuade me.
“It left me dizzy in my head. I spent 24 good hours thinking about it. After much thought, I decided to discuss it with the president of the Cameroon Football Federation, who didn't give me a bad reception.
“In due time, admittedly discreetly, I decided to apply for the position of coach of the Indomitable Lions.”
The former striker has never been the head coach of a team before, having been involved as technical staff member of Paris Saint-Germain's Under-19 side.
He admits that he is well aware of the pressure that comes with being at the helm of the Indomitable Lions.
"Potentially, it would be big pressure," he added. "It is a renowned job, a difficult one in the sense that the public are very demanding.
“I know very well that if things come to an end right away, the critics would be ready to fall [on me]. That's not what scares me. What worries me the most is the difficulty in passing on a message, a system of play.
"I have methods that are in my head, but I should be able to put them in the minds of the players, and that's the real challenge.”
If Mboma is appointed Cameroon coach, he would be tasked with steering the Lions to the 2022 Fifa World Cup after they missed out qualification for the 2018 edition.
He would also be expected to help the Central Africans reclaim the Afcon title they won in 2017, having himself won it as a player in 2000 and 2002.
