Ambroise Oyongo named to Cameroon's AFCON 2015 provisional roster

Ambroise Oyongo has been called up to Cameroon's 27-man provisional squad for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations.

His inclusion is part of head coach Volker Finke's apparent decision to keep faith with the bulk of the squad that reclaimed the Lions' "Indomitable" tag by sweeping through the final stage of qualifying undefeated.

The selection strategy leaves no room for Alex Song, the West Ham midfielder who hasn't played for his country since picking up a red card against Croatia in the 2014 World Cup group stage.

Instead, as perhaps ought to have been predicted by a (largely UK-based) press currently slackjawed at the thought of (gasp) a Premiership footballer not being considered vital to his national team, Finke has opted for continuity - and that approach bodes well for Oyongo's chances of making a significant contribution to Cameroon's work at AFCON 2015.

He will get the chance to make his case for a starting spot during Cameroon's pre-tournament training camp, which starts on January 5. The team will play three friendlies - against Congo on January 7, versus South Africa on January 11, and against a yet-to-be-named opponent on January 14.

The squad for AFCON will head to Equatorial Guinea on January 16. Cameroon's tournament kicks off January 20, when the Lions will take on Mali.