In a revealing interview, Marc Brys, the head coach of the Cameroon national football team, has openly criticized Samuel Eto’o, the president of the Cameroonian Football Federation (Fecafoot). Brys, who has had a rocky relationship with Eto’o, didn’t hold back in his recent statements, which are likely to further strain their relations.
Reflecting on a past confrontation with the former football star, the 62-year-old coach accused Eto’o of spreading misinformation. In an interview with the Belgian newspaper La Dernière Heure, Brys pointed out that much of the information circulating about him, often through social media channels associated with Eto’o, is inaccurate. “He has a team dedicated to social media, but 80% of the information they spread is wrong! It’s pure invention, but people believe it. They claim I’ve been fired 37 times. Given his background as a footballer and his origins, he enjoys support from the general public,” Brys clarified.
Brys didn’t stop there, criticizing Eto’o’s record in various roles outside of football. “He is very influential, but his only success is as a footballer. In other areas—coaching, business, and evidently, as a leader—he has failed. His brief stint as a coach at Antalyaspor in 2015-2016 lasted just a month. At 62, it’s time to speak the truth to help people improve,” Brys added, emphasizing his view that Eto’o’s influence has been detrimental to Cameroonian football.
One of Brys’ most startling claims is that Eto’o interfered directly with team management. “My predecessor, Rigobert Song, was just a puppet with no real power. Eto’o would enter the locker room before and during matches to completely alter the team lineup. The players felt bullied; it was a joke. Under such conditions, it was unrealistic to expect Cameroon to perform at its expected level,” the Belgian coach asserted.
Brys also shed light on the challenges he faced during his first training camp with the national team, attributing many of these issues to deliberate actions by Fecafoot. “I told my players that instead of training, we would take a walk. I wanted to show that things couldn’t go on like this. And that wasn’t all,” he said. He went on to describe the difficulties during a recent trip to Angola for a World Cup qualifier in June.
“Before our match in Angola, I was told there were no rooms available for coaches—only for players and officials. I refused to go elsewhere, and eventually, we secured a room. The night before the match, I received emails at 1:30 AM and 5:40 AM, demanding that the players’ passports and the team lineup be handed over to a FIFA commissioner staying an hour and a half away,” Brys revealed. This led him to take an unusual step on the morning of the match.
“At 7 AM, I rented a car and delivered the documents myself. I was worried Fecafoot might change my team lineup,” he recounted. “And then, another issue arose: my staff members weren’t accredited for the match. Manchester United’s goalkeeper, André Onana, had to warm up alone, without a goalkeeper coach! Unheard of. This is what Samuel Eto’o, despite being a great footballer, has done as the president of his federation.”
This candid interview by Marc Brys highlights significant tensions within Cameroonian football and raises serious questions about the influence and effectiveness of Samuel Eto’o’s leadership. As these revelations come to light, the future of the team and its administration remains uncertain.