Yaoundé: Eto’o given 72 hours to appoint coach amidst crisis ⁰

The Cameroon Football Federation (FECAFOOT) said on Saturday it has given its president Samuel Eto’o 72 hours to appoint a new coaching staff for the country’s national men’s football team.

In a statement, FECAFOOT said the decision was taken following a meeting of the body’s Emergency Committee held in the capital Yaoundé.

The meeting came barely two days after FECAFOOT expressed “great surprise” at the appointment of Belgian Marc Brys as head coach of the national men’s football team, calling it regrettable.

On Tuesday, the country’s Minister of Sports and Physical Education, Narcisse Mouelle Kombi said that the new head coach was appointed following “high instructions” of President Paul Biya.

Saturday’s statement said FECAFOOT “was not involved in the procedure leading to the appointment … in disregard of texts”.

Should Eto’o appoint a new coaching staff it will set in a “serious” football management crisis, said football analyst Joseph Mbah.

“It will mean that the country has one team with two different coaching staffs. This will surely deepen crisis in the football management body which is already facing criticisms,” Mbah said.

Brys was appointed to replace Rigobert Song, who had guided Cameroon to the 2022 FIFA World Cup and was dismissed in February following Cameroon’s poor performance in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.

Source: Xinhuanet