Cameroon’s preparations for the Africa Cup of Nations have been plunged into turmoil after Andre Onana was omitted from the squad and head coach Marc Brys was abruptly sacked amid explosive accusations of “subterfuge.”
The dramatic upheaval, announced by newly re-elected Fecafoot president Samuel Eto’o and his executive committee, has left fans and players scrambling for answers just weeks before the tournament in Morocco.
Eto’o’s statement read like a dossier of grievances. Brys, the Belgian coach appointed by the sports ministry in April 2024, was accused of a catalogue of professional failings — from allegedly inciting players to defy the federation to secretive dealings with unnamed individuals inside Fecafoot.
The charges also claim Brys skipped meetings, withheld training plans, strained sponsor relationships, delayed squad announcements and used “subterfuge” to avoid press duties. The tone was unmistakable: this was not a routine parting of ways but a full-scale institutional rupture.
In the immediate fallout, Brys’ assistant David Pagou was elevated to interim boss. Pagou, a seasoned domestic coach, now faces the near-impossible task of steadying a ship listing badly to starboard.
His 28-man roster for the Afcon, which kicks off on 21 December, is conspicuously light on marquee names. Missing are goalkeeper Andre Onana, captain Vincent Aboubakar, Serie A winner Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa and defender Michael Ngadeu. While Anguissa’s absence is explained by a hamstring injury, the reasons for the other omissions remain unexplained, deepening the mystery.
Onana’s exclusion is the headline casualty. The 29-year-old, capped 59 times, has endured a turbulent international run — from an early exit at Qatar 2022 to a disrupted 2023 Afcon — and his club form has been mixed amid a loan move to Trabzonspor.
Though he reclaimed the No 1 spot under Brys and started the recent World Cup play-off, the new regime has left him off the plane. With four goalkeepers named, Onana’s international future now hangs in the balance.
This episode is the latest chapter in a fractious era under Eto’o. Since taking office in December 2021, the former superstar has overseen a string of managerial changes and public rows with the sports ministry.
Past dismissals and reinstatements, including the controversial handling of coaches Toni Conceição and Rigobert Song, have set a precedent for high drama. Brys’ brief, turbulent tenure, his reinstatement after a row, and now his final removal underscore a deeper tug-of-war over who truly runs Cameroonian football.
Beyond the headlines, the practical challenge is stark. Analysts warn that a new coach has little time to forge a coherent system or knit a fractured squad into a unit.
Cameroon’s Group F draw is unforgiving: holders Ivory Coast, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s Gabon, and Mozambique await.
With key veterans absent and the federation in open conflict with the ministry, the Indomitable Lions head to Morocco under a cloud — and with their tournament hopes as much at risk off the pitch as on it.
