The inside story of Fecafoot vs MINSEP dispute and eventual détente
The row between the Cameroon Football Federation and the Ministry of Sports and Physical Education is over, with both parties agreeing to recognize a unique national team coaching staff.
How it started
In February 2024, following Cameroon’s return from the AFCON, coach Rigobert Song was sacked and the responsibility of proposing possible replacements was given to Fecafoot. Samuel Eto’o provided suggestions, but the minister rejected them, citing high costs.
On April 2, 2024, the Minister of Sports announced a new technical team for the Indomitable Lions, shocking Fecafoot led by Samuel Eto’o, as they claimed they were excluded from the recruitment process.
Citing decree No. 2014/384, Fecafoot argued they were responsible for administrative, sports, and technical management of national football teams. As a result, Fecafoot appointed their own technical staff with another coach but later approved Marc Brys as the coach.
How it evolved and affected the Lions
Amidst the conflicts, the Indomptable Lions had to face Cape Verde and Angola for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, which brought the issue to its peak.
Both the minister’s appointed staff and Fecafoot’s staff reached out to summon players. The players trained with the ministry’s staff after returning home.
Fecafoot then refused to release equipment for training to the other staff, leading the Ministry to seek other resources. Prior to the Cape Verde match, Marc Brys had a heated exchange with Samuel Eto’o, resulting in Fecafoot’s suspension of Brys.
The Lions triumphed over Cape Verde and then faced Angola away from home and then a brief respite was experienced before the next international break.
The AFCON 2025 qualifiers presented match venue confusion between Fecafoot and the Ministry but the Prime Minister intervened and solved the issue of the venue.
Throughout these conflicts, Cameroon played four games but never lost any of them, both in the World Cup and AFCON qualifiers.
How it was resolved
After the 64th Cameroon cup final, the both parties reached an amicable agreement, resulting in the merger of their technical staff.
However, certain names were removed from both the minister’s and Fecafoot’s staff lists. These names included Didier Benjamin Banlock (appointed by the MINSEP as National Selection Coordinator), Dany Nounkeu (appointed by the MINSEP as Team Manager), Germain Noël Essengue (appointed by the MINSEP as Team Press Officer), Benoit Angbwa (appointed by the FECAFOOT as National Selection Coordinator), and William Ngatchou (appointed by the MINSEP as Doctor).
Subsequently, a new list made of 18 names was created and signed by both parties to resolve the disputes.
