The Cameroon Football Association, FECAFOOT, has called yet another Emergency Committee meeting after a failed and heated meeting with national team coach, Marc Brys.
Brys had been invited for a working meeting by Samuel Eto’o and his executive at the FECAFOOT headquarters. In an apparent show of power, Brys arrived with his entire technical team and the advisor to the Minister of Sports.
“We are here to make a strong statement. The only technical team is the one appointed by the head of state, there is no other,” Tollo told reporters who had gathered.
Tollo was initially barred from entering the building by FECAFOOT staff, together with some of the national technical staff. FECAFOOT only wanted Brys and his assistant coach to attend the meeting. After being let in, Tollo and Brys proceeded to have separate heated exchanges with Samuel Eto’o, who was clearly upset.
“In your country I cannot do this. You don’t speak to me that way Mr coach. Don’t forget, as a footballer you could never speak to me. Now I’m the president. You don’t speak to me that way,” Eto’o tells Brys in one of the video clips circulated on social media.
Brys fired back with his own verbose and left without sitting down for the meeting.
“There he went too far. I work for the Sports Ministry, not the federation,” the Belgian declared.
It is unclear how Brys expects to work with the Eto’o led FECAFOOT while he is clearly not prepared to listen to them. Those in the know say only Cameroon president Paul Biya can solve this growing mess.
Other interested eyes will be on FIFA’s reaction to all this. If the appointment of Brys by the government was not interference, then Tollo attending FECAFOOT meetings is surely stepping over the FIFA regulations line. Kenya and Zimbabwe know all about FIFA and its views on government interference in football.
Tollo wanted to know the agenda of the meeting before it could continue, which angered Eto’o. Security was loudly asked to escort Mr. Tollo off the premises.
In the aftermath of the doomed meeting, FECAFOOT released a statement saying the Emergency Committee will meet “as soon as possible.”
This leaves the preparations of the national team in tatters ahead of two important World Cup qualifiers.