In Cameroon, the soap opera of the month of April is worthy of the greatest American series with twists and turns. The house of the Indomitable Lions is torn apart in an almost open war between the Ministry of Sports and the Football Federation over the question of the new coach of the national team. A look back at this series in six episodes. 

Episode 1: the departure of Rigobert Song

At the origins of the conflict, there is above all a failed CAN 2024 for Cameroon. The “Continent” had a series of unconvincing performances before being eliminated in the round of 16 by Nigeria.

Also read: Samuel Eto'o: "Mbappé is the best player in the world"

Between that and the very poor dynamic of the Indomitable Lions since the appointment of Rigobert Song as head of the team in February 2022, the coach's fate was sealed. On February 28, Samuel Eto'o, president of the Cameroonian Football Federation (Fecafoot), made official on France 24 what everyone already knows: the coach will leave, not renewed.

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Indicating that he would like a rather "foreign" and "experienced" profile, Samuel Eto'o also indicated that Paul Biya, the president of Cameroon will have a say in the appointment of the new coach: "We will work on several profiles and we will send them to the Head of State. Because you know, with us, we need the agreement and opinion of the Head of State on the proposal of the Cameroonian federation,” he explained. “Of the three profiles that we will propose, we hope that one of them will attract the attention of the first Cameroonian athlete.”

Episode 2: the Minister of Sports announces the appointment of Marc Brys

So far, nothing particularly unusual. After more than a month of reflection, the name of the new coach was announced on April 2. It is a Belgian, Marc Brys, who spent most of his coaching career in his country where he managed ten clubs. He has also coached in the Netherlands and Saudi Arabia.

But already, one detail may raise eyebrows: it is the Ministry of Sports itself which announces the appointment of the new coach of the Indomitable Lions and his staff, which includes, among others, the former striker François Omam Biyik, icon of Cameroonian football from the 1980s-1990s.

Episode 3: double press release from Fecafoot

The detail is not one of them. Fecafoot claims to have not been consulted on the choice of Marc Brys. She first expressed her surprise before deeming this appointment “illegal” in two successive press releases dated Wednesday April 3.

In the first, published on Facebook, the federation states that this appointment is opposed to the presidential decree "on the organization and operation of national football selections", which specifies that the sporting management of selections falls within the competence of Fecafoot.

Then in a letter to the Ministry of Sports, but widely made public, Samuel Eto'o again judges this appointment illegal. “The national federation cannot recognize these appointments made outside any legal and regulatory framework,” protests the former Cameroonian international.

He urges the minister to “take note of [their] remarks, while remaining available for collaboration in compliance with the texts in force,” he concludes.

In essence, Fecafoot criticizes the ministry for having ignored the applications prepared by the federation, namely the Frenchman at the helm of Les Bleues, Hervé Renard, the Portuguese at the helm of Nigeria, José Peseiro, and the Italian Fabio Cannavaro.

Episode 4: the answer in three pages

In the war of press releases, the minister's response came on Friday April 5. In a long three-page presentation, Narcisse Mouelle Kombi does not fail to tackle Samuel Eto'o's record with the "particularly mediocre results of the Indomitable Lions".

🔥 A presentation, as a response from the Minister of Sports Narcisse Mouelle Kombi to the President of FECAFOOT.



The State will not compromise on its designation of the new staff of the Indomitable Lions. Samuel Eto'o's attitude is now under scrutiny pic.twitter.com/DbQ6CH6N0K

— Marc Leonel CHOUAMO (@MarcCHOUAMO) April 5, 2024

“The three applications submitted by you each presented exorbitant salary expectations. In view of the imminence of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, we inform you that the Ministry of Sports has already taken all necessary measures and necessary, adequate and appropriate (…) for the entry into office of the new coach-selector,” argues the minister.

The member of the government also responds to the legal arguments of Fecafoot recalling that in the past, Clarence Seedorf, Antonio Conceiçao and Rigobert Song were appointed by the same mechanism which resulted in the choice of Marc Brys, namely "article 9 of the Minsep-Fecafoot Convention", and this, without "this causing the slightest controversy".

Article 9 in which it is indicated 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 compulsory advice from the Minister responsible for Sports , or on the basis of being made available to the State."

Episode 5: secession

The response, however, did not convince Fecafoot to stop the revolt.

Saturday April 6, the federation's emergency committee asked Samuel Eto'o to choose a name within 72 hours. To justify this decision, Fecafoot relies on another decree which ensures that the sports management of the national team falls within its own competence.

"Unanimously by the members present, the emergency committee recommends to the president of Fecafoot to submit to it, in application of articles 4 of decree No. 2014/384 of September 26, 2014 and 40 paragraph 11 of the statutes of Fecafoot, proposals for the appointment of members of the management structures of national football teams within 72 hours", explains the umpteenth press release in this long-running series.

🛑🛑 #URGENT ‼️ pic.twitter.com/6Nl6c7AmmZ

— Fecafoot-Officiel (@FecafootOfficie) April 6, 2024

Episode 6: what now for peace or a new season

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What will be the next twist in this Cameroonian imbroglio? In the immediate future, it will be a question of seeing if Samuel Eto'o and Fecafoot follow through on their approach and actually appoint a second coach at the head of the Indomitable Lions.

And as Cameroonian football sinks into crisis, we will also have to see when Fifa or CAF will signal the end of recess. Indeed, article 14 of the statutes of the international body stipulates that member associations must “direct their affairs with complete independence”.

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From there to imagine Cameroon deprived of CAN or World Cup as a sanction as provided for in the statutes governing world football? “The FIFA regulations only apply to small nations,” judges Xavier Barret, consultant for RFI and France 24, in the program Café des sports.

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Sports Café © France 24

In the shorter term, we will also have to observe the reaction of Marc Brys, one of the main people concerned. The Belgian arrived in Yaoundé on Sunday. Greeted by the press, he said: "I'm very excited! I would like to start already and we are ready to put things in place. I was very happy with the selection process. It was very professional."

He also expressed his wish to meet Samuel Eto'o to resolve the situation. It won't be luxury.

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