Cameroon`s players have finally set off for the Far East after refusing to leave because of a pay dispute
The team and staff took a Cameroon Airlines flight from Paris at about 0100 local time ( midnight BST) on Wednesday morning, the cultural adviser at the Cameroonian embassy in Paris, Antoine Wongo Ahanda, said.
Their departure had been delayed by two days because of a pay dispute.
Ahanda said that the players received their bonuses, but would not comment on the amount.
He said the delay in departure was due to flight schedule problems.
The players were reported to be refusing to leave Paris until they were paid allowances totalling about £29,000 per player.
Local officials hope to reschedule events that had been planned to welcome the players.
There was no immediate word on whether the money issue had been resolved - Cameroon`s sports minister was planning to visit Paris to resolve the matter.
Cameroon were rocked by similar pay disputes before their last two
World Cup outings.
The nation won its fourth African Cup of Nations title in February and won the Olympic gold at the 2000 Sydney Games.
Cameroon`s German coach on match against his homeland
The squad had been due to reach Japan on Sunday but they failed to appear and their hosts received no word.
Reports in the Japanese media also suggested that several Cameroon players were having visa problems.
Yuichiro Takehara, from the training camp organising committee, said that local residents were not irritated by their guests` delay.
"This just means we will be all the more pleased to see them when they do arrive," he said.
Inhabitants of Nakatsue village have been preparing for the Indomitable Lions for months, with local officials and kindergarten pupils studying French.
Cameroon are expecting a particularly loyal following in Japan, thanks largely to striker Patrick Mboma.
He played for Gamba Osaka from 1997 to 1998, and is still a hero in Japan.
