Four-time African champion Cameroon had been one of the continents great hopes. But the Indomitable Lions _ featuring Inter Milan’s recent Champions League winner Samuel Eto’o _ are already preparing to pack their bags after failing to find their bite in losses to Japan and Denmark.

If successfully carried out, the oil auction could propel Nigeria back to Africa’s top oil producer. Militant violence and oil thefts have cut Nigeria’s oil production by about 1 million barrels a day, allowing Angola to surge ahead.