Heart issue rules Cameroon player out of Nations Cup

Cairo - Cameroon forward Joel Tagueu has been forced to withdraw from the squad ahead of their opening game at the Africa Cup of Nations due to an irregular heart condition.

The Cameroon team doctor detected "an abnormality in the coronary artery" that could lead to "sudden death", the Cameroonian football association said in a statement on Monday.

"The coach has decided not to take any risk on the player, who will leave the team 24 hours before its first game."

Reigning champions Cameroon, coached by former Dutch star Clarence Seedorf, are due to begin the defence of their title against Guinea-Bissau in Ismailia on Tuesday.

The 25-year-old Tagueu has spent the past 18 months on loan at Portuguese club Maritimo from Brazil's Cruzeiro.