As the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon kick off their preparation for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers this Monday, Samuel Eto’o once again shines brightly towards Marc Brys and his players. Determined not to collaborate with FECAFOOT, the MINSEP finds itself facing a serious setback.
Cameroon has been in the spotlight since the end of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations. While Rigobert Song’s succession was supposed to happen smoothly and quietly, the “continent” is caught in a vice grip by the Minister of Sports, who has decided to do things differently, and by the Cameroonian Football Federation masterfully led by former footballer Samuel Eto’o. Overridden in the appointment of Marc Brys as the head of the Indomitable Lions on April 2nd, the president of FECAFOOT enjoys no respite.
Marc Brys disrupts everything. After a semblance of peace was found last week for a mixed technical staff with assistants appointed by the Belgian coach by the federation, things took an unexpected turn yesterday Sunday with Marc Brys’ volte-face. Indeed, on the eve of the players’ gathering at the Hilton hotel, the 61-year-old coach informed FECAFOOT that he has no intention of working with the assistants they appointed to assist him, except for Carlos Kameni, who will not be the main goalkeeping coach but rather the assistant to the goalkeeping coach appointed by MINSEP.
Following this sensational revelation, players who were beginning to arrive at the assembly point to start the training camp for the third and fourth rounds of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers were greeted by the coordinators of the ministry of Sports’ selections. At the same time, coordinators appointed by Samuel Eto’o, who did not have a room and therefore no access to the elevators leading to the Indomitable Lions’ camp, were welcoming players. Finally, late at night, the head of FECAFOOT recalled its agents to leave the Hilton hotel in the face of MINSEP’s intransigence and Marc Brys’ determination.
Eto’o deprives the Indomitable Lions of equipment. Perhaps to make a statement, Samuel Eto’o has not provided the technical staff and players with jerseys and equipment to start the camp. As several images relayed from the Indomitable Lions’ assembly point this Monday indicate, each player is dressed as best as they can when gathering with the Flemish coach. Once again, the situation is completely bizarre and humiliating for Cameroon, which has been and remains one of the great footballing nations on the continent.
For now, no one knows if the Federation will eventually provide the national team’s equipment to the Indomitable Lions, who find themselves in a tricky situation. And when you consider that accreditations and many other things come from FECAFOOT, it seems that we are heading for new troubles for Marc Brys and his team. In any case, this Monday morning, Choupo Moting, Christian Bassogog, Michael Ngadeu, Moumi Ngamaleu, Kunde Malong, and Vincent Aboubakar went for a walk without the official jerseys or equipment of the Indomitable Lions as usual.
Five days before the third round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers against the Blue Sharks of Cape Verde at home, Cameroon seems poised to deliver a most dismal spectacle to the eyes of Africa and the world. For now, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) remain silent but attentive to the Cameroonian’s deleterious situation. But for how long before a possible sanction is imposed to end the cacophony, it remains to be seen.
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