FECAFOOT and lucrative appointments: it’s not over till it’s over ⁰

The President of the Cameroon Football Federation has maintained only the Belgian coach Marc Brys as head coach of the Indomitable Lions.

FECAFOOT boss Samuel Eto’o reached the decision at the end of a meeting with members of the Emergency Committee of the Cameroon Football Federation that held on May 8 2024.

Apart from the most important position on the staff where FECAFOOT retained the Belgian technician Marc Brys, appointed on April 2, 2024 by the Minister of Sport, President Eto’o swept aside all the other officials appointed by the member of the CPDM government.

Former Indomitable Lions legends Omam Biyick and Alioum Boukar were all replaced as deputies by Coach Martin Ndtoungou Mpile and Idris Carlos Kameni, the 2000 Olympic champion.

The most powerful position which is that of national team coordinator was given to Benoît Angbwa, while the Minister for Sport had appointed Didier Benjamin Banlock, a former associate of President Samuel Eto’o to the post. The two men have been at daggers-drawn positions ever since the Qatar FIFA World Cup.

Cameroon Concord News understands FIFA played a role in bringing together the factions by invoking the collaboration agreement between FECAFOOT and the Ministry of Sport for the management of the Indomitable Lions that has been in place for over 9 years.

FIFA reportedly insisted that articles 9 and 13 of the agreement must be respected. Article 9 stipulates that members of the Indomitable Lions’ staff are recruited either by FECAFOOT or on secondment from the State. Article 13 says that FECAFOOT and the Ministry of Sport are committed to the serene and concerted management of football in a spirit of dialogue, solidarity and patriotism.

On the basis of these two articles, FIFA invited the two parties to sit down around a table and engage in dialogue to resolve their differences, pending the revision of this disputed agreement as soon as possible.

But without any consultation, FECAFOOT appointed the Indomitable Lions staff on May 8.  The nation is now curious to know the reaction of the Minister of Sport, who declared on April 2 that he had acted on the instructions of the President of the Republic.

By Rita Akana