Christian Kofane’s agent defends players decision to turn down Cameroon and focus on Bayer Leverkusen: “We need to take care of the boy” | OneFootball

Responding to an enquiry from Kicker, Bayer Leverkusen striker Christian Kofane’s agent has explained his client’s decision to turn down a national team call up. Cameroonian national team head coach Marc Brys has suggested that the 19-year-old had no interest in representing his county. Other Cameroonian media reports claim that Brys himself has not lobbied the new Bundesliga professional hard enough.

The story, according to Kofane’s professional representative Eric Depolo, is actually quite simple. Kofane sent Brys a WhatsApp message this summer explaining that he would prefer to focus on his new Bundesliga club and Champions League duties. Brys, per Depolo, never officially responded to this message. Meanwhile, invitations from the Cameroonian FA (FECAFOOT) continued to arrive in September and October.

Depolo claims that his client is being caught in a tug-of-war between Brys and FECAFOOT president Samuel Eto’o, who also runs West African media conglomerate RSI. Depolo has made statements to both Kicker and RSI in the last 48 hours. Kofane’s agent wishes to emphasize that his client isn’t disinterested in representing Cameroon at all.

The youngster – who doesn’t have a lot of professional experience – simply needs more time. It was only a little over one year ago that Kofane was still working with a Cameroonian academy AS Nylon before moving to Spanish Segunda outfit Albacete. The teenager’s move to the first division in one of Europe’s top five leagues counts as a big step.

“It was a big leap for Kofi to move from Africa to the Bundesliga,” Depolo told Kicker journalists Stephan van Nocks and Martin Roser. “The lad needs to focus on his new project with Bayer Leverkusen and use the international breaks to recover. If we don’t take care of the boy, it could break him.

“We informed the national coach [about Christian’s decision], but he never replied,” Depolo continued. “The association [FECAFOOT] understood. He will join the national team, but step-by-step. He still has plenty of time. He can join the national team next year or in another two or three years.“

Asked how long Kofane’s abstention from the national team would continue, Depolo replied “the entire season“. This ostensibly means that Kofane will not be available for selection during the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in January 2026.

GGFN | Peter Weis