Afcon 2025: Andre Onana left out of Cameroon squad as Samuel Eto’o sacks coach for ‘subterfuge’
Since Brys’ arrival, Fecafoot and Cameroon’s ministry of sport have been at loggerheads over the legality and legitimacy of the 63-year-old’s contract.
But he is not the first manager dismissed by Eto’o’s regime.
Having first been elected to Fecafoot’s top job in December 2021, the former Barcelona and Inter Milan forward soon oversaw the dismissal of Portuguese boss Toni Concecaio, who had guided Cameroon to a third-place finish on home soil at the 2021 Afcon, despite opposition from the ministry.
Another Cameroon legend, Rigobert Song, was immediately appointed as Conceicao’s replacement – under the instructions of the country’s President Paul Biya.
Strongly rumoured to also be Eto’o’s choice, Song led his nation at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar – which Onana departed early after being suspended by Fecafoot – but a poor showing at the last Afcon in Ivory Coast ended the former West Ham and Liverpool defender’s time in charge.
The sports ministry’s choice of Brys as Song’s replacement was met with “great astonishment” at Fecafoot.
Less than two months later, the Belgian was removed following a heated row with Eto’o – only to be reinstated two days later as the federation president apologised.
With Brys’ recent failure to qualify his team for next year’s World Cup, having lost to Dr Congo in the African play-offs, it now looks as if Eto’o has finally got his way.
However, it remains to be seen whether the ministry, which pays the head coach’s salary, will acquiesce to Fecafoot and Eto’o on this occasion. The BBC has been told that, for now, it has nothing to say.
“It’s difficult to see how a new manager will be able to put together a playing system, create an avenue where the players can express themselves fluently on the pitch and play as a unit,” Cameroonian analyst Njie Enow told BBC Sport Africa.
Whatever the outcome on the pitch, Fecafoot’s allegations of misconduct and the dismissal of Brys just weeks before a major tournament is merely the latest in a series of dramatic events under Eto’o’s stewardship, which has been marked by a range of scandals and opposition from local football stakeholders.