Cameroon have been dealt a blow in their bid to defend their Africa Cup of Nations crown with Portugal-based striker Joel Tagueu being ruled out of the tournament due to a heart defect.
Tagueu, 25, was in camp preparing for the Indomitable Lions' opening Afcon 2019 clash against Guinea Bissau on Tuesday when he was informed of his withdrawal.
As per the statement released on the Cameroonian Football Federation's official social media accounts, the striker was with withdrawn after scans undertaken from the team's training camp in Qatar discovered that the player had an issue with his coronary artery.
"Cameroon team doctor William Ngatchou has just detected an anomaly of an implantation of a coronary artery suspected in Qatar and confirmed in Egypt, with a risk of sudden death on the pitch," the federation said in a statement via its official Twitter account.
"The news of Joel Tagueu's departure from the camp was received with sadness in the camp. The staff and players couldn't hold their tears. An appeal has been filed to CAF for his eventual replacement."
The #IndomitableLions team's doctor, Prof William Ngatchou has just detected an anomaly of an implantation of a coronary artery suspected in Qatar and confirmed on Egypt, with a risk of sudden death on the pitch@CAF_Online #TotalAFCON2019
— Fecafoot-Officiel (@FecafootOfficie) June 24, 2019
Clarence Seedorf's side, who are the defending AFCON champions, have been placed in Group F alongside Ghana, Guinea-Bissau and Benin, and will face Guinea-Bissau in their tournament opener on Tuesday night.