Cameroon football was plunged deeper into trouble on Tuesday when a meeting between football federation president Samuel Eto’o and the country’s new Belgian coach Marc Brys devolved into an acrimonious clash.
It was Eto’o’s first meeting with Brys, who was appointed by the country’s sports minister in early April without consultation from the Cameroon Football Federation, leading to a confrontation between the duo.
Brys had been invited for a “working session” by Eto’o as Cameroon prepare for World Cup qualifiers next month, but several of his support staff, also appointed by the sports ministry, were refused entry to the FECAFOOT federation building in Yaounde.
Video circulating on several social media sites (@AllezLesLions), filmed by reporters, show Eto’o welcoming Brys but their exchanges quickly turned into a melodrama.
Eto’o furiously booted out a ministry official who wanted to attend the meeting, followed by a heated confrontation with Brys, who departed immediately.
FECAFOOT is scheduled to issue a comment later, after first criticising the Belgian’s nomination as a unilateral action by sports minister Narcisse Mouelle Kombito.
Normally, the football federation appoints and pays its coaches, but in some African countries, the government does so, especially when federations are financially stressed.
Former African Footballer of the Year Eto’o, who had a storied career playing in Europe, has tried to assert some independence but has also had to tread carefully in a country where matters around the football team are high priority for the government.
Long-standing Cameroon president Paul Biya has often weighed in on team affairs, famously demanding that 38-year-old Roger Milla be included in the squad for the 1990 World Cup.
The veteran striker went on to score key goals as Cameroon became the first African country to reach the quarter-finals.
Cameroon have qualified for eight World Cup tournaments, more than any other African country, making the Indomitable Lions one of the country’s major assets.
They are due to play the Cape Verde Islands in Yaounde on June 8 and Angola away three days later in their latest qualifying games for the 2026 finals in North America.
They beat Mauritius at home and drew away with Libya in their opening two Group D qualifiers last November under Rigobert Song, whose contract was not renewed after Cameroon went out in the last-16 at January’s Africa Cup of Nations finals.
