The Cameroon Football Federation (FECAFOOT) and the Ministry of Sports and Physical Education (MINSEP) are entangled in a blame game regarding the challenges facing football management in the country.
In the wake of the controversial dispute with former head coach of the Indomitable Lions, Antonio Conceicao da Silva Oliveira, both MINSEP and FECAFOOT have issued statements blaming each other for the status quo.
On Saturday, February 22, 2025 MINSEP said the state has decided to settle the damages claimed by the former trainer of the national team following his abusively dismissal by FECAFOOT in 2022.
The Head of the Communication Unit of MINSEP, Gabriel Nloga in a statement said the government had committed to pay the over FCFA 1.2 billion to the former coach, following an instruction from President Paul Biya.
This followed threats of severe sanctions from the world football governing body FIFA in a correspondence dated December 13, 2024.
Conceiçao was unceremoniously sacked by FECAFOOT after leading the Indomitable Lions to a third-place finish at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) on home soil. He subsequently reported the matter to FIFA, which, after investigations, ordered the Samuel Eto’o-led FA to settle the debt.
FECAFOOT had since failed to pay Conceiçao for over three years, prompting FIFA to issue a stern warning. In his statement, the Communication Lead at the Sports Ministry further cautioned FECAFOOT against taking quick, emotional decisions that could cost the state more money.
FECAFOOT shifts blame to gov’t
In a rebuttal, on Sunday, February 23, 2025, FECAFOOT denied sole responsibility in the sacking of coach Conceiçao. In an apparent response to the Sports Ministry’s communique, FECAFOOT’s Communication Head, Jean Marie Nkoussa said the sacking of the former Indomitable Lions gaffer was never a unilateral decision by the FA. He stated that both Sports Minister and the President of the Republic had backed the decision to sack the Portuguese trainer.
Nkoussa went ahead to reiterate that the sacking of Conceicao wasn’t unusual as previous coaches had followed the same path. Names cited included Clarence Seedorf, Volker Finke, Javier Clemente and Hugo Broos who, like Conceicao, were all fired for unconvincing results.
He stated that besides, the FA is never invited to participate in the signing of the coaches, except for the case of Rigobert Song whose firing for similar reasons never cost much to the government.
In the communique, FECAFOOT regretted that MINSEP was drifting away from the call for peace and unity in the management of football in Cameroon made by President Paul Biya in his February 10 address to the nation. Shifting blame to one party was contrary to the values of peace and harmony, the FA noted in their own communique.
This new twist in the problems plaguing football in Cameroon has sparked mixed feelings from across the country. Some football fans think Eto’o has come to worsen a bad situation. With FECAFOOT demanding the sacking of Marc Brys as well, critics are only getting more furious. However, others believe Eto’o is a square peg in a square hole.
