Cameroon has been forced to make a last minute change to its 18-man squad for the men's football competition at the upcoming Beijing Olympic Games.

The squad is currently in Hong Kong for a warm-up event that includes three other Olympic hopefuls -- the Netherlands, the United States and Cote d'Ivoire, Lagos-based Punch newspaper reported on Tuesday.

Midfielder Landry Nguemo, who plays for Nancy in France, has withdrawn from the squad because of illness and is replaced by forward Serge Ngal of Uniao Leiria in Portugal.

The ING Cup kicks off on Wednesday in Hong Kong as Holland takes on Cameroon and the US takes on Cote d'Ivoire.

On Saturday Holland will play Cote d'Ivoire and the U.S. will play Cameroon.

The Dutch and the Americans won't meet in Hong Kong, but will be closely watching each other because the two sides are both in Group B of the Olympic competition.

The other representative of Africa, Nigeria, is also in Group B at the Games along with Japan.

Arsenal's Alex Song, the nephew of Cameroon's most capped player Rigobert Song, Rennes' Stephane Mbia and Reading's Andre Bikey are the big names for the country that won the Sydney 2000 Olympics gold medal.

(Xinhua News Agency July 29, 2008)