Cameroon’s early exit from the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations has reopened deep institutional divisions, after revelations that dismissed coach Marc Brys received state bonuses while the staff who led the team in Morocco went unpaid.
The Indomitable Lions were eliminated at the quarter-final stage of the tournament, but the aftermath has proved as controversial as the campaign itself.
According to Sports News Africa, bonuses linked to Cameroon’s AFCON participation were paid to Marc Brys, despite his removal by the Cameroonian Football Federation (Fécafoot) just days before the competition began.
In a move that surprised many observers, Fécafoot dismissed Brys and his technical team on the eve of the tournament and replaced them with a new staff led by David Pagou.
Pagou subsequently took charge of the national team throughout the AFCON in Morocco.
However, it was Brys who reportedly received a participation bonus of close to €30,000, while Pagou and his staff received nothing.
The explanation lies in the unresolved power struggle between Fécafoot and the Ministry of Sports.
Although the ministry acknowledged Brys’ dismissal shortly after it was announced, a senior official confirmed that no formal termination was ever issued.
“The State has never officially terminated Mr. Brys’s contract,” the source said.
As a result, the Belgian coach has continued to receive his salary and was deemed eligible for the AFCON bonus.
The same official added that the ministry has no contractual relationship with David Pagou or his assistants.
“The Ministry of Sports has never signed a contract with this staff,” the source stated, underlining the legal vacuum surrounding the technical bench during the tournament.
Another source quoted by Sports News Africa argued that responsibility rests squarely with Fécafoot.
“It is up to FECAFOOT to propose and pay the salaries of all the technical staff present at the 2025 AFCON, since it was FECAFOOT that imposed this staff,” the source said.
Fécafoot, led by former Cameroon star Samuel Eto’o, has rejected that interpretation.
The federation insists that “David Pagou’s staff manages the Cameroonian national team, not FECAFOOT’s,” distancing itself from financial responsibility.
The episode has once again highlighted the blurred lines of authority over Cameroon’s men’s national team, raising fresh questions about governance, accountability and stability at the highest level of the country’s football administration.
