Andre Onana has been left out of Cameroon’s squad for the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) – with the team in chaos after head coach Marc Brys was sacked amid allegations of “subterfuge”.
Days after being re-elected as Cameroonian Football Federation (Fecafoot) president, Samuel Eto’o and his executive committee announced Brys’ dismissal in a dramatic statement., external
It features a long list of accusations of “professional failure” levelled at Brys, including “inciting” players to defy Fecafoot.
The Belgian – appointed by Cameroon’s sports ministry in April 2024, a decision Eto’o immediately tried to reverse – is also accused of “active collaboration with unknown individuals within Fecafoot”.
He is also accused of failing to attend meetings, refusing to disclose his training programmes, jeopardising relationships with sponsors, not releasing his squad selections on time and using “subterfuge to evade his professional obligation to hold press conferences”.
Brys is replaced by one of his assistants, David Pagou, an experienced Cameroonian coach who has managed several teams in the country’s top tier.
But Pagou’s 28-man squad for the upcoming Afcon in Morocco, which begins on 21 December, is missing several key names.
They include goalkeeper Onana, team captain Vincent Aboubakar, Napoli midfielder Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa and defender Michael Ngadeu.
While Anguissa has been injured, no reason has been given for the other omissions.
Coaching changes continue under Eto’o
Since Brys’ arrival, Fecafoot and Cameroon’s ministry of sport have been at loggerheads over the legality and legitimacy of the 63-year-old’s contract.
But he is not the first manager dismissed by Eto’o’s regime.
Having first been elected to Fecafoot’s top job in December 2021, the former Barcelona and Inter Milan forward soon oversaw the dismissal of Portuguese boss Toni Conceicao, who had guided Cameroon to a third-place finish on home soil at the 2021 Afcon, despite opposition from the ministry.
Another Cameroon legend, Rigobert Song, was immediately appointed as Conceicao’s replacement, under the instructions of the country’s President Paul Biya.
Strongly rumoured to also be Eto’o’s choice, Song led his nation at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar – which Onana departed early after being suspended by Fecafoot, but a poor showing at the last Afcon in Ivory Coast ended the former West Ham and Liverpool defender’s time in charge.
The sports ministry’s choice of Brys as Song’s replacement was met with “great astonishment” at Fecafoot.
Less than two months later, the Belgian was removed following a heated row with Eto’o – only to be reinstated two days later as the federation president apologised.
With Brys’ recent failure to qualify his team for next year’s World Cup, having lost to Dr Congo in the African play-offs, it now looks as if Eto’o has finally got his way.
However, it remains to be seen whether the ministry, which pays the head coach’s salary, will acquiesce to Fecafoot and Eto’o on this occasion. The BBC has been told that, for now, it has nothing to say.
“It’s difficult to see how a new manager will be able to put together a playing system, create an avenue where the players can express themselves fluently on the pitch and play as a unit,” Cameroonian analyst Njie Enow told BBC Sport Africa.
Whatever the outcome on the pitch, Fecafoot’s allegations of misconduct and the dismissal of Brys just weeks before a major tournament are merely the latest in a series of dramatic events under Eto’o’s stewardship, which has been marked by a range of scandals and opposition from local football stakeholders.
Is Onana’s international career over?
Onana, who has 59 caps, is the most high-profile omission from Cameroon’s Afcon squad.
But it is perhaps not a complete surprise given his form at Manchester United before being loaned to Turkish side Trabzonspor in September, as well as his recent history at major tournaments.
Not only was he sent home early from Qatar 2022, he also lost his place in the starting line-up at the 2023 Afcon after delaying his arrival at the tournament in order to play an extra game for United.
Having been left out of the Indomitable Lions’ first group match against Guinea as a result, he returned for the 3-1 defeat by Senegal – a game in which he was arguably at fault for the opening goal.
Fabrice Ondoa was then preferred for the team’s victory against The Gambia and defeat by Nigeria in the last 16.
Onana’s loan move to Trabzonspor did allow him to regain his position as Cameroon’s number one under Brys, and he started last month’s World Cup play-off defeat by DR Congo.
But with Brys gone, there is no place for the 29-year-old in a squad containing four goalkeepers.
Onana’s Old Trafford team-mate Bryan Mbeumo is included, as is Brighton midfielder Carlos Baleba.
But the Indomitable Lions will undoubtedly miss the experience of Serie A winner Anguissa, who picked up a hamstring injury last month and has chosen to prioritise his recovery at Napoli.
Without several of their established stars, Cameroon have a tricky draw to navigate in Morocco.
They face holders Ivory Coast, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s Gabon and Mozambique in Group F.
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