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3 months ago
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Cameroon have U-turned on their original decision to sack manager Marc Brys after he originally had his position within the national team terminated following an explosive confrontation with Samuel Eto'o.
Brys was appointed as Cameroon manager in April by the country's Sports Ministry, rather than the football federation (Fecafoot) led by Eto'o, and appeared to have parted company with the team on Thursday morning.
The organisation announced that Brys has been replaced by Martin Ndtoungou, who will serve as Cameroon's interim head coach.
However, that is now not the case after the pair reconciled and Eto'o apologised for his initial actions at a bizarre press conference.
Eto'o monologued his apology where he asked for 'forgiveness' and explained that he would now work hand-in-hand with Brys to build a sustainable future for the Cameroon national team.
Cameroon have U-turned on their original decision to sack manager Marc Brys after he originally had his position within the national team terminated
Après avoir assuré à Marc Brys qu’il allait être viré, Samuel Eto’o revient sur cette petite altercation et demande pardon.
Il indique aussi que lui et Brys travailleront main dans la main pour la réussite de notre équipe nationale et que le coach aura tout son soutient.🫂🙌🏾 pic.twitter.com/fbTRIfKxcj
Eto'o's time as Cameroon football federation president has seen several controversies
The original altercation between the duo relates to Brys' appointment as Cameroon manager in April by the country's Sports Ministry, rather than the football federation (Fecafoot) that is chaired by Eto'o.
Fecafoot had accused the sports ministry of unilaterally appointing the Belgian and originally suggested Eto'o name a new coach, but the former Barcelona and Chelsea striker opted to keep Brys in charge.
Eto'o, however, was not present at Brys' unveiling as manager and the pair had a public confrontation at a meeting ahead of Cameroon's latest qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Brys' support staff were reportedly refused entry to the Fecafoot's offices in Yaounde, while a video posted on social media saw Eto'o prevent a sports ministry official from attending the meeting.
Eto'o was then seen clashing with Brys in their first meeting, with the country's all-time top goalscorer demanding respect from the Belgian coach.
‘I’m the president of the federation. And you don’t talk to me like that, I was a coach too,' Eto'o was heard saying.
‘As a footballer, you could never talk to me. You sit down and we work. Stop this s**t, you think I could do that in Belgium, I was a coach.’
A previous video saw Samuel Eto'o, left, confronting Cameroon manager Marc Brys at a meeting
🎥 L’échange entre Samuel Eto’o, président de la FECAFOOT et Marc Brys, sélectionneur des Lions indomptables. 😰🇨🇲
« Bienvenue chez vous ! »
En marge de cette rencontre, vive altercation entre Eto’o et Cyrille Tollo, conseiller au MINSEP. pic.twitter.com/NOhrMjpd0o
Eto'o has now apologised for his previous actions at a press conference alongside Brys
Brys was appointed as manager in April following Cameroon's exit at AFCON back in January
Brys reportedly responded ‘Yes, [for] three weeks’ in reference Eto'o's five match spell in charge of Turkish side Antalyaspor.
The 62-year-old left the meeting despite Eto'o warning he risked being sacked, with the Fecafoot then calling an emergency meeting.
The federation announced that Brys has been replaced as head coach despite not taking charge of a game.
But, the situation has now been resolved with Eto'o appearing at a press conference alongside Brys to address his previous actions and apologised for the way the confrontation had been handled.
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