Soccer-Cameroon recall Choupo-Moting and Anguissa for friendlies

YAOUNDE, March 11 (Reuters) - Cameroon have called up two of the eight players who refused to compete in the African Nations Cup at the start of the year for friendlies later this month, the country's football federation announced.

Forward Eric Choupo-Moting from German Bundesliga club Schalke 04 has been recalled to the squad two months after opting to miss the Nations Cup in Gabon, where Cameroon emerged the surprise winner.

Uncapped Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa from Olympique Marseille is also recalled despite saying in December he wanted to concentrate on his club career rather than go the three-week tournament.

The refusal of players like Joel Matip and Allan Nyom, who both play in the Premier League, to turn out for Cameroon led to a storm over eligibility for their clubs during the period of the Nations Cup.

Cameroon coach Hugo Broos said during the tournament he would hold no grudges against those who turned down his January call-up.

He will, however, in the future have to do without former captain Nicolas Nkoulou, who scored a goal in February's final, but has since announced he wants timed off from international duty to revive his flagging prospects at club level.

Cameroon's matches against Tunisia in Monastir on March 24 and Guinea in Brussels on March 28 will be the first since they won the Nations Cup. (Reporting by Mark Gleeson in Johannessburg, editing by Amlan Chakraborty)