Cameroon star Tagueu warned he could ‘drop dead on pitch’ due to heart problem as he is withdrawn from AFCON 2019

CAMEROON star Joel Tagueu has been warned he could “drop dead on the pitch” at any time due to a heart problem – and has been sent home from the African Cup of Nations.

The 25-year-old – who plays in Brazil – was informed of the terrifying problem by his national team’s doctor.

The Cameroon Football Federation’s official Twitter revealed the scary news ahead of their tournament opener against Guinea-Bissau – with Tagueu’s team-mates in tears.

They wrote: “Bad news. Joel Tagueu, selected among the 23 Lions for the CAN Total Egypt 2019, will not be able to take part in the competition.

“The team’s doctor, Prof. William Ngatchou, has just detected an anomaly of coronary artery implantation, suspected in Qatar and confirmed in Egypt, with a risk of sudden death in the field.

“The news of Joel Tagueu’s departure was greeted with a lot of sadness in the team.

“The staff and the players could not hold back their tears. An appeal has been lodged with CAF for its possible replacement.”

Tagueu, who has four caps for Cameroon since his 2018 debut, is currently on the books of Brazilian side Cruzeiro.

The striker has also played for Londrina, Coritiba, Santos, Botafogo and Avai in Brazil, as well as spending time on loan at Portuguese side Maritimo.

Cameroon will now need to make do without him for the tournament, as they prepare to take on Guinea-Bissau, Ghana and Benin in their group.