Football News
Terrible blow for Marc Brys, ONIES and MINSEP
On an inspection visit to stadiums in Cameroon since last Wednesday, CAF experts released terrible news for Marc Brys, the Ministry of Sports (MINSEP) and especially the ONIES of Joseph-Antoine Bell, which manages sports infrastructures .
At the heart of the news for months, Cameroon continues to hit the headlines. If several subjects are the subject of a standoff between FECAFOOT and the Ministry of Sports, the stadiums to host the Indomitable Lions meetings are one of the main reasons. At the beginning of September, Brys players had to implore the Prime Minister to signal an end to the hullabaloo between the ONIES, covered by the Ministry of Sports, and the body led by Samuel Eto'o over the stadium to host the match of the first day of the CAN 2025 qualifiers.
Indeed, while FECAFOOT demanded that the match against Namibia take place at Japoma in Douala or at Roumdé Adjia in Garoua, the ONIES of Joseph-Antoine Bell and the Ministry of Sports did not want to hear anything. As Brys wished, the Ahmadou Ahidjo stadium was recommended by the structure which manages the sports infrastructures at FECAFOOT. Several days after this standoff which Samuel Eto'o's body finally won, supported by the Confederation of African Football, experts arrived in Cameroon to settle the matter.
The terrible verdict on the Ahmadou Ahidjo stadium
Since last Wednesday, specialists from the Confederation of African Football have arrived at 237 to inspect four stadiums likely to host national team matches. Among these facilities, there is the Yaoundé stadium, the Japoma in Douala which was ultimately not visited since a last minute postponement occurred without any explanation. And after the tour of the three other stadiums, CAF rendered a final verdict for the Ahmadou Ahidjo stadium, which is the favorite of MINSEP and coach Marc Brys.
Indeed, according to the envoy of the MSI television channel in the delegation which followed the CAF experts in their inspection, the Yaoundé stadium, built in 1972 and which is therefore 50 years old, no longer meets the new standards international. Now classified in category 4, the Ahidjo stadium is no longer authorized to host an international meeting. Only local clubs can continue to play in the stadium so popular by the Ministry of Sports and which was the subject of a major conflict a few weeks ago.
A moral victory for FECAFOOT
This is very bad news for the Belgian coach (terribly criticized by Cameroonian legends) and the other parties who opposed the Cameroonian Football Federation, which ended up being right with CAF. Today, with the verdict which remains to be officially confirmed by FECAFOOT, it must be said that it is Samuel Eto'o who is gaining points in the fight for control of the Indomitable Lions. Not being authorized to interact as the first contact with the Confederation of African Football or even with FIFA, the Cameroonian Ministry of Sports is obliged to closely follow the indications of FECAFOOT.
Note that Cameroon's next match, on October 11, is scheduled at Japoma in Douala, as announced by the Federation a few days ago. For the moment, everything is calm since ONIES and MINSEP have not yet taken a position. However, it appears there should be no more debate about which stadiums should host Indomitable Lions matches. The big concern that is on the table now concerns the reception and accommodation of the players and the technical staff. As Patrick Mboma predicts, further unrest is expected in the coming days. We'll wait and see…
