Cameroon sack coach just 20 days before Africa Cup of Nations | OneFootball

The Belgian coach of the Cameroon national team, Marc Brys, was dismissed this Monday by the Cameroonian Football Federation (Fecafoot), which convened an emergency committee and appointed David Pagou in his place, just 20 days before the Africa Cup of Nations.

In charge since April 2024, Brys, 63, was in open conflict with the federation and its president, Samuel Eto’o, who was recently re-elected to lead the organization.

During the meeting held in Yaoundé, the Federation decided to appoint a local coach, David Pagou, 56, who will have Alexandre Belinga and Martin Ntoungou as his assistants.

Conflicts

Fecafoot drew up a list of 11 points to justify the dismissal of Marc Brys, which, according to the organization, aims to “establish a calm environment within the ‘Indomitable Lions’ for ideal preparation and participation” in the Africa Cup of Nations, which will be held from December 21, 2025 to January 18, 2026, in Morocco.

However, Brys’s dismissal may reignite tensions within the governing bodies of Cameroonian football. Since his appointment in April 2024, several conflicts have arisen between the Belgian coach and the federation.

He was filmed in a heated argument with a representative of the Ministry of Sport and with Samuel Eto’o, former Cameroonian football star and current president of the federation.

A technical committee was then appointed in May 2024 by Eto’o, led by Martin Ntoungou Mpile.

The conflict cooled at the beginning of October 2024, with the Ministry and the federation agreeing to keep Brys as head coach and add local coaches chosen by the federation.

Cameroon failed to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, which will be held in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. In the Africa Cup of Nations, the team will face the current champion Ivory Coast, as well as Gabon and Mozambique, in Group F.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.