Cameroon’s squad arrived in Morocco for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations without a key figure: head coach Marc Brys.
The Belgian manager, appointed by the Ministry of Sports in spring 2024, was blocked from joining the team, with assistant David Pagou stepping in to manage the squad on the ground.
The decision came after Samuel Eto’o, president of the Cameroonian Football Federation (Fécafoot), refused to recognize Brys’ appointment.
Describing the move as “amateur” and “illegal,” Brys has taken the dispute to the courts.
“I have hired a lawyer. The contract is clear,” he told Belgian outlet Sporza, confirming that the matter is now being handled legally.
Brys said he was blindsided by the decision. Days before the tournament, he was informed he would not be allowed to travel to Morocco—without any formal communication from Fécafoot or the Ministry of Sports.
“I was not personally informed by Fécafoot, nor by the ministry. I blame them as well. There was never any communication,” Brys said.
“We asked for our tickets to Morocco and there was never any response. In the end, someone said they should not give us the tickets because he (Eto’o) had said it was not allowed.”
The 63-year-old coach strongly criticized how the situation was handled.
“The way this happened is illegal and goes against all logic. You don’t find this anywhere else in the football world,” he said.
“Two days before, you suddenly throw everything upside down. The facts themselves are simply illegal.”
Brys emphasized that Fécafoot acted beyond its authority.
“The federation is not allowed to fire me, even though they tried several times. Only the president or the ministry can do that, because they appointed us.”
Though excluded from the tournament, Brys has stayed in occasional contact with the players and expressed his support for the team.
“If you are unjustly excluded, you no longer feel the desire to analyze those matches. That’s for the staff who are there.
“They [the team] are happy with the results and they regret that we are not there with the staff,” he added.
