Highlights: Marc Brys, Samuel Eto'o and Narcisse Mouelle Koumbi are the three protagonists in the conflict between the Cameroonian government and Fécafoot. Brys was appointed by the political power in place to take over from Rigobert Song at the head of the Indomitable Lions following the rout of CAN 2023. The Cameroonian Football Federation has chosen not to recognize him. The Belgian technician did indeed land in Yaoundé this Monday, April 8 to take up his duties, right in the middle of the media skirmish.

Marc Brys, new coach of the Indomitable Lions, Samuel Eto'o, president of Fécafoot and Narcisse Mouelle Koumbi, Cameroonian Minister of Sports. Here is the trio of protagonists who shake up…

Where are we in the conflict between the Cameroonian government and Fécafoot?

Marc Brys, new coach of the Indomitable Lions, Samuel Eto'o, president of Fécafoot and Narcisse Mouelle Koumbi, Cameroonian Minister of Sports. Here is the trio of protagonists who have been shaking up the world of Cameroonian football for almost a week now, with only one question burning on everyone's lips: who should appoint the next coach? Update on the situation.

Marc Brys, new coach of the Cameroon selection, during a Belgian D1 match with Louvain, in August 2023. Getty Images - Plumb Images

By: Yohann Le Coz Follow

Marc Brys, this is the name of the discord in

Cameroon

. Appointed by the political power in place to take over from Rigobert Song at the head of the Indomitable Lions following the rout of

CAN

2023, the Cameroonian Football Federation has chosen not to recognize him. The latter having felt excluded from the designation process. However, the Belgian technician did indeed land in Yaoundé this Monday, April 8 to take up his duties, right in the middle of the media skirmish between the two parties.

Read alsoCameroonians divided over the conflict between Fécafoot and the Ministry of Sports

" I am very excited ! I would like to start already and we are ready to put things in place,”

said the new coach as soon as he stepped on the ground. With the added bonus of a little sentence, far from trivial

: “I was very happy with the selection process. It was very professional.”

From the appointment of Marc Brys until his arrival on Cameroonian soil, ink was spilled, letters were sent, but has mass been said? Because each event in this affair was likely to exacerbate tensions between the government and Fécafoot, which seem to be at their peak today.

What will be Eto'o's next move?

The next move on the chessboard in this imbroglio will probably come from Samuel Eto'o. Indeed, on April 6, Fécafoot met as an “

Emergency Committee

” and urged its president to propose a new coach and new executives for “

the selection management structures

” within 72 hours. Even though this had already been done through the selection process put in place by the Ministry of Sports. Three names were then proposed: Hervé Renard, the Italian Fabio Cannavaro and the Portuguese José Peseiro. But the salary demands of the latter, ranging from 1.5 to 2.4 million euros, according to the government, eliminated them straight away.

Since then, the former Lions star striker has remained silent but should soon come forward, having been stung several times in this affair. First by the appointment of Marc Brys without his approval, effectively undermining his authority over Cameroonian football. Then, because this was accompanied by the arrival of new members of the staff for Brys: François Omam Biyik (1st assistant) and Christophe Manouvrier (physical trainer), both already present in Antonio Conceiçao's former staff and dismissed by Eto'o after CAN 2021. As well as Benjamin Banlock, as coordinator of the national selections, with whom the former Barça player would be on bad terms.

And this without taking into account the firm, sometimes slightly humiliating tone adopted by the Minister of Sports, Narcisse Mouelle Koumbi in his letters to Eto'o. Since Brys' appointment, his pen has never wavered, regardless of the rebellions of Fécafoot. Jumbled together, in his last letter, he invoked “

particularly mediocre results of the Indomitable Lions”

or even assured without hesitation that “the

Ministry of Sports and Physical Education has already taken all the useful and necessary measures,

[ ...]

for the entry into office of the new coach-selector, Mr. Marc Brys

”.

Read alsoFootball: the Minister of Sports responds firmly to Eto'o, Brys will be coach of Cameroon

The accusations of illegality of the appointment of the new coach, for which Fécafoot considered itself responsible according to the law, did not make Narcisse Mouelle Koumbi deviate from his line either. He relied on article 9 of the MINSEP-FECAFOOT Convention, in which it is mentioned that

“the members of the management structures of the national football teams are recruited either on the basis of a contract signed with the President of the Cameroonian Football Federation, after the obligatory opinion of the Minister responsible for Sports, or on the basis of being made available to the State

Fécafoot has given its president until April 9 to present new coach profiles to the ministry. And this, even though Marc Brys is moving straight towards taking up his post, as if he were wearing blinders. Samuel Eto'o's next speech will be scrutinized with great attention.

Where are we in the conflict between the Cameroonian government and Fécafoot?

Where are we in the conflict between the Cameroonian government and Fécafoot?

What will be Eto'o's next move?

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