Expert opinion: David Pagou, the next Emerse Faé of AFCON?

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Foot Africa

·6 January 2026

Expert opinion: David Pagou, the next Emerse Faé of AFCON?

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David Pagou, the next Emerse Faé of AFCON

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David Pagou/@Ouest France

Cameroon is making waves in this 35th edition of the , with the final tournament ongoing in Morocco.

Appointed just days before the start of AFCON 2025, David Pagou is already being compared to Emerse Faé, one of the masterminds behind Ivory Coast’s recent AFCON triumph after taking over from the Frenchman Jean-Louis Gasset at the end of the group stage.

Foot Africa reached out to former Cameroon international Jean-Jules Bapidi Fils to answer this burning question: Could David Pagou become the next Emerse Faé of AFCON?

It should be noted that David Pagou is no newcomer; he’s a coach who has already proven himself both with local clubs and within national technical staffs.His bold decisions, particularly on the technical and tactical fronts, have allowed the Cameroonian national team to rediscover its playing identity.Of course, he can follow in Emerse Faé’s footsteps by winning AFCON, but to do so he’ll first have to overcome the Moroccan challenge in the quarter-finals.The Cameroonian squad is progressing spectacularly, and the credit goes first and foremost to David Pagou, whose technical and tactical adjustments have truly paid off.

Driven by their new head coach, David Pagou, the five-time African champions have powered their way into the quarter-finals of the competition.

As a reminder, Cameroon collected 7 points in the group stage thanks to wins over Gabon (1-0) and Mozambique (2-1), along with a draw against Ivory Coast (1-1).

In the round of 16, the Indomitable Lions edged out South Africa (2-1).