Francis Ambané
Francis Ambane | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 8, 1984 Douala, Cameroon |
| Occupation | Professional footballer |
| Years active | 2002–2018 |
| Known for | Playing for Gokulam Kerala FC, Cameroon national team |
Francis Idriss Ambane Moubourou (born 8 November 1984 in Douala) is a professional footballer from Cameroon, who most recently was part of Gokulam Kerala FC competing in the I-League.
Career
Ambane launched his professional journey with the Elite One side Canon Yaoundé, where he featured in 14 league fixtures and netted 7 goals. He contributed to Yaoundé's campaign as runners-up in the 2002 Super Coupe Roger Milla.
During the 2003–2004 season, he transferred to Belgian outfit KSC Lokeren. After one year abroad, Ambane returned to Cameroon to join Union Douala in the MTN Elite One division. He remained with Union Douala for three seasons before rejoining Canon Yaoundé. In the 2009–2010 period, he moved on to play for Algerian side ES Sétif.
On 14 July 2011, Ambane secured a two-year deal with ASO Chlef on a free transfer following the termination of his contract with ES Sétif. Subsequently, on 19 January 2012, he signed a one-year contract with WA Tlemcen, again transferring without a fee from ASO Chlef.
While at ES Sétif, Ambane was part of the squad that claimed the 2009–10 Algerian Cup and finished as runners-up in both the Algerian Ligue Professionnelle 1 and the 2009 CAF Confederation Cup.
On 11 October 2017, Ambane was announced as a new signing for the recently established I-League club Gokulam Kerala FC ahead of the 2017–18 I-League season. Gokulam ended that campaign in seventh place; Ambane featured in four league matches before being released on 14 January.
International career
Ambané took part in 7 appearances for the Cameroon U23 side, netting 2 goals, and was included in the 2004 Olympic team competing in Athens. Between 2006 and 2007, he stood out as the sole domestic-based player to be called up to the Cameroon national team on three occasions. His senior international debut occurred on 23 December 2012 during a friendly match where Cameroon secured a 1-0 victory over Niger. Additionally, Ambané participated in the 2016 African Nations Championship, with Cameroon being eliminated in the quarter-final stage following a 3-0 defeat to Ivory Coast.
Club
- Canon Yaoundé
- Super Coupe Roger Milla
- Finalist (1): 2002
- ES Sétif
- Algerian Ligue Professionnelle 1
- Runner-up (1): 2009–10
- Algerian Cup
- Winner (1): 2009–10
- CAF Confederation Cup
- Finalist (1): 2009