FIFA has responded to the decision of Samuel Eto’o, president of the Cameroon Football Federation (Fécafoot), to recognize Marc Brys as the head coach of the Cameroon national team.
After a prolonged conflict with his supervising minister, Narcisse Mouelle Kombi, Samuel Eto’o finally accepted Marc Brys, who was initially rejected on the grounds that Fécafoot had not been consulted before his appointment on April 2. The former football star justified this reversal due to the urgent need to prepare for the upcoming 2026 World Cup qualifiers in June.
At the same time, Eto’o has significantly overhauled the technical staff, sidelining several members he deemed undesirable, including François Omam-Biyik and Benjamin Banlock, who were reinstated by the minister as assistant coach and national team coordinator, despite tensions with Eto’o who had previously fired them.
In response to these changes, FIFA supported Eto’o’s decision, officially recognizing Brys as the “new head coach of Cameroon,” a phrasing highlighted in a statement on its website. This position underscores the organization’s support for the autonomy of national federations, although FIFA had temporarily removed Brys from his coaching position on the Cameroon profile, before adding him back a few hours later at the end of April.
Furthermore, FIFA also validated the appointments of Joachim Mununga, Ndtoungou Mpile, and David Pagou as assistants, as well as Carlos Kameni as goalkeeping coach. However, the future of these assistants remains uncertain, as according to recent information, their appointments might not be accepted by the Cameroonian government, which sees these choices as a form of “challenge” issued by Eto’o. The continuation of this matter is thus to be closely monitored.
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