Marc Brys, the head coach of the Cameroon national football team, was notably absent from the list of voters at the 2024 FIFA The Best awards, despite being eligible.
The omission has raised questions about internal tensions within the Cameroon Football Federation (Fecafoot) and the influence of its president, Samuel Eto’o.
The FIFA Best ceremony, held on Tuesday in Doha, Qatar, celebrated the world’s top football talents, with Vinícius Júnior of Real Madrid claiming the coveted Player of the Year award.
👑 @vinijr remporte le prix #TheBest – Joueur de la FIFA 2024 ! 🇧🇷 pic.twitter.com/IYEcxlVhWR
— Coupe du Monde 🏆 (@fifaworldcup_fr) December 17, 2024
The Brazilian winger triumphed in a close contest, securing the highest number of votes from a panel that included national team captains, coaches, journalists, and fans.
Rodri of Manchester City and Jude Bellingham, Vinícius’ teammate at Real Madrid, rounded out the top three.
Among those eligible to vote was Vincent Aboubakar, Cameroon’s captain, who named Vinícius Júnior as his top choice.
Aboubakar, alongside his selections of Spain’s Dani Carvajal and France’s Kylian Mbappé, contributed to Vinícius Júnior’s victory.
However, the absence of Marc Brys’ vote became a topic of concern.
Instead of Brys, assistant coach Martin Ndtoungou Mpile cast the vote on behalf of the Cameroon team.
FIFA’s official voting breakdown confirmed this substitution, leaving many to wonder why the head coach was excluded from the voting process.
Brys’ absence from the voting panel appears to be linked to ongoing tensions between him and Samuel Eto’o, the president of Fecafoot.
Despite Brys being appointed by the Ministry of Sports, the strained relationship between the coach and Eto’o has been well-documented.
This friction may have played a role in Brys being bypassed, as his assistant was given the responsibility to vote.
Brys’ assistant, Ndtoungou Mpile, selected Vinícius Júnior as his top pick, followed by Erling Haaland of Manchester City and Jude Bellingham.
The decision comes amid a backdrop of internal disputes, with Brys’ disagreements with Eto’o reportedly affecting team dynamics.
A particularly notable incident was the repeated exclusion of Brys’ assistant Joachim Mununga from the Cameroon squad during the qualifiers for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), a move seen as further indication of the tensions between the coach and the football federation.
While the exclusion of Marc Brys from voting remains unexplained officially, it highlights the ongoing challenges within Cameroonian football governance, which could have lasting implications for the national team’s cohesion and future success.
