Rigobert Song, a former defender for West Ham and Liverpool, has been named the Central African Republic’s (CAR) new head coach.
Swiss coach Raoul Savoy, who was fired in October near the end of CAR’s failed 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifying campaign, is replaced by the 48-year-old.
During his 17-year international career, Song played a record 137 games for Cameroon. He had previously served as his country’s manager for two years.
At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and the Africa Cup of Nations last year, where the team lost in the round of 16, he captained the Indomitable Lions.
Song takes over one of the few remaining African countries that has never made it to the Afcon finals. He hasn’t had a management position since February 2024, when Cameroon declined to extend his contract.
The Wild Beasts almost missed qualifying for the 2023 tournament after losing their last two matches.
However, Song’s first assignment will be the 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign, which starts in March with home matches against Mali and Madagascar.
With four points from four games, CAR is now five points behind leaders Comoros and second-place Ghana in Group I.
