The Cameroon men’s national team head coach Marc Brys has alleged he has been subjected to “physical threats”, deprived of basic equipment and his players were sent threatening letters “designed to demoralise them” by the Cameroon Football Association (Fecafoot) during his first international window as head coach in June.
Brys, who was appointed head coach in May by the Cameroonian government, was part of a standoff with Fecafoot in May after they initially resisted his appointment. Fecafoot appeared to appoint an interim replacement after a clash between the head coach and president Samuel Eto’o.
A conciliatory press conference alongside Eto’o, where the Fecafoot president apologised, suggested the rift was healed however it now appears that significant tensions remain.
A letter, seen by The Athletic, was sent by Fecafoot to Brys on August 18, 2024, asking for the coach to explain himself within 72 hours following an interview Belgian news outlet Derniere Heure (DH).
In the interview, Brys made a series of allegations, including that his goalkeeper, Manchester United’s Andre Onana, had to warm up alone for the match against Angola on June 11 as his assistants were not accredited and, of Eto’o, that he “is very influential, but his only success is as a footballer. In other areas — coaching, business, and evidently, as a leader — he has failed.”
Eto’o, a former striker for FC Barcelona and Inter Milan, has been president of Fecafoot since December 2021 but has been the subject of multiple allegations. He was fined by the Confederation Africaine de Football (CAF) in July following an investigation into alleged violation of the principles of ethics and integrity. Eto’o was cleared of manipulating football matches.
Eto’o has been cleared of match-fixing (Lillian Suwanrumpha/AFP via Getty Images)
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In a letter dated August 21 2024, which The Athletic has also seen, Brys has responded to Fecafoot by detailing that he will not be a “yes yes” coach and went on to demand answers regarding a series of failings during his first weeks as the head coach, calling the period the “greatest frustrations of my coaching career”.
Brys expanded on his allegations in the interview with DH. Addressing the secretary general of Fecafoot, he wrote, with reference to Cameroon’s World Cup qualifiers against Angola and Cape Verde in June: “How can a coach be deprived of teaching materials (confiscation of jerseys, balls, bus) as part of the training sessions for an essential match to qualify relating to qualifying for the Canada-United States World Cup?
“How do you understand that people I don’t know, with whom I have never worked, find themselves in my dressing room on match day?
“On the eve of the match against Angola, how do you understand that threatening letters are sent to players with copies to their clubs, despite a crushing victory against Cape Verde? This was intended to demoralise them.
“How do you understand when we disembarked in Luanda (the capital city of Angola), I was the victim of verbal attacks from Mr Benoit Angbwa, physical aggression from Mr Thierry Ndoh and that subsequently, Dr Fotso tried to expel me from the national selection bus during our transfer to the hotel? How do you believe that Fecafoot refused to accredit my assistants, forcing the first-choice goalkeeper of the Indomitable Lions to warm up on his own? When we know that for specialists, this is a specific activity with a view to conditioning the national team’s last line of defence. This is unheard of in world football for a national team.”
Brys’ time at Cameroon has been fraught with internal strife (Daniel Beloumou Olomo/AFP via Getty Images)
Brys also claimed that he had seen no condemnation from Fecafoot regarding the personal “attacks” and that he had been the victim the insults of all kinds against me and family”. He then stated his wish to continue working with Fecafoot “only give us polite, courteous professional interlocutors and we will all work together to advance the national team”.
Tensions first emerged in May following Brys’s appointment as Cameroon head coach, which was made by the Cameroon ministry of sport to the “great astonishment” of Fecafoot.
Video footage emerged in May of Eto’o and Brys appearing to have a heated exchange, with Fecafoot then writing in a statement that the decision to replace Brys had been taken following an emergency meeting, convened by Eto’o due to the “inappropriate behaviour” of Brys and his assistants.
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The federation announced that Martin Ndtoungou had taken over the Cameroon team on an interim basis and was to hold a press conference to reveal his squad for the World Cup qualifiers against Cape Verde and Angola.
But, following what it described as a “fruitful and convivial meeting”, Fecafoot clarified the status of the team in a further statement that week, outlining Brys was to remain as head coach, with Joachim Mununga as his assistant.
Eto’o then apologised to Brys in a press conference the pair held, stating that there were a “lot of emotions” in their previous “unfortunate” encounter.
Cameroon are due to face Namibia and Zimbabwe next month as part of qualifying for the Africa Cup of Nations, to be held in Morocco.
The Athletic has contacted Brys and Fecafoot for comment.
(Daniel Beloumou Olomo/AFP via Getty Images)
