Belgian football manager Marc Brys has been reinstated as the coach of Cameroon after Samuel Eto’o, the president of the Cameroonian Football Federation (Fecafoot), apologized for a disagreement that led to coach Brys being replaced just two days earlier.
Fecafoot had appointed Martin Ndtoungou as the interim coach of the Indomitable Lions on Tuesday night following a heated argument between Eto’o and Brys during their first meeting that day.
Brys was initially appointed by Cameroon’s sports ministry in April, a move that Fecafoot described as surprising and unilateral.
However, during a news conference on Thursday, Eto’o said that the 62-year-old Brys would remain in his coaching role, with 2026 World Cup qualifiers approaching in early June.
“I apologize because our initial meeting was unfortunate and highly emotional,” said Eto’o. “The interests of the Cameroonian people are paramount, and we must focus on serving them,” he added.
The heated exchange between Eto’o and coach Brys took place at Fecafoot’s offices in Yaounde on Tuesday. It was captured in videos circulating on social media, showing Brys leaving the meeting abruptly. The football star was also seen in a confrontation with an official from the sports ministry.
Samuel Eto’o, a former player for Barcelona, has been the president of Fecafoot since December 2021.
As part of African qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Cameroon will host Cape Verde on June 8. The Indomitable Lions will then travel to Angola on June 11. Cameroon currently leads Group D with four points from two games. The tournament will take place from June 11 to July 19 2026. It will be jointly hosted by 16 cities in Canada, Mexico and the USA.
