Cameroon were to have played in Russia for the first time next month but the match has been cancelled ©Getty Images

The Cameroon Government is understood to have blocked plans for the national team to meet Russia in Moscow next month,

The match was to have been the first played by Cameroon on Russian soil.

It had been scheduled to take place at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium on June 15  but the match was cancelled after the intervention for the Cameroon Government, according to Russian newspaper Sport Express.

The reason why the Government in Yaoundé have blocked the match is unclear as relations with Russia in recent years had been friendly as former colonial power France begun to lose influence in Cameroon. 

In April 2022, shortly after Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine, Cameroon signed a strategic military deal with Russia which covered the sale of weapons and armoured trucks, as well as intelligence gathering and training.

Russia beat Cameroon 6-1 in their first meeting at the 1994 FIFA World Cup ©Getty Images
Russia beat Cameroon 6-1 in their first meeting at the 1994 FIFA World Cup ©Getty Images

The two nations only met for the first time at the 1994 World Cup at the Stanford Stadium when Oleg Salenko scored five goals as Russia won 6-1 in the group stages.

Legendary Cameroon striker Roger Milla scored in the same match to become the oldest World Cup goal scorer at the age of 42.

The announcement that the match in Moscow had been cancelled comes in the same week that Milla celebrated his 71st birthday.

The only other match between the two nations was in 2011, a 0-0 draw played in Austria.

Cameroon failed to qualify for the FIFA World Cup when it was held in Russia in 2018.

At the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, Cameroon midfielder Gaël Ondoua wore boots which displayed a Russian flag.

He had moved to  Russia when his father was a diplomat there.

Ondua explained that it was "a sign of respect for the country in which I grew up, formed and received a football education."

He added, "I have been playing in boots with the Russian flag for many years and I am not going to break this tradition.

Ondua was not punished for the gesture.

Russia's most recent match was in March when they beat Iraq 2-0 in St Petersburg ©Getty Images
Russia's most recent match was in March when they beat Iraq 2-0 in St Petersburg ©Getty Images

Last November, Russia were forced to cancel a planned match against Bosnia Herzegovina after an outcry when it was announced.

Russia had been expelled from the 2022 FIFA World Cup before the playoff stage after finishing second in qualifying Group H.

They were also banned from taking part in qualification for the 2024 UEFA European Championships in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine.

In March, Russia drew 1-1 with Iran in Tehran and later defeated Iraq 2-0 in Saint Petersburg.