Susan Muba, Lattaquant.com
In the wake of the Indomitable Lions’ victory over Cape Verde at the Stade Omnisport in Yaoundé, the Paris-based magazine dropped a bombshell on the footballing world. According to Jeune Afrique, the conflict between FECAFOOT and the Ministry of Sport goes beyond a simple war of egos between Samuel Eto’o and Narcisse Mouelle Kombi.
Indeed, in this 9-minute long paper, the magazine, which claims to be pan-African, asserts that three figures of lions and former indomitable lions with precisely :
◦ André Onana, goalkeeper with Manchester United
◦ Joseph Antoine Bell, former goalkeeper, close to André Onana
◦ Omam-Biyick, former Indomitable Lion and legend since his goal against Argentina at the 1990 World Cup, are the main “hands on the ground” blocking Samuel Eto’o.
Jeune Afrique goes further, claiming that this group, collisionally linked to the Fecafoot president, is backed by a political faction that no longer shares the former Indomitable Lions captain’s ideas.
Omam-Biyik, Joseph Antoine Bell and André Onana, what are the moves?
François Omam-Biyik, assistant to coach Marc Brys, saw his appointment by the Ministry of Sport and Physical Education rejected by the current president of the Cameroon Football Association, creating tensions between the two colleagues.
The 58-year-old former Indomitable Lion is no stranger to the national team. From September 2019 to 2022, he was assistant coach to Toni Conceição with the Cameroon national team. Here is Omam-Biyik’s coaching career
◦ FCL Saint-Christophe Châteauroux, coach of the senior team in the departmental first division and the U13 team (benjamins), from September 2009
◦ EGC Touvent Châteauroux, from August 2010
◦ Assistant coach of the Cameroon national team, from 17 August 2010.
Joseph-Antoine Bell, former goalkeeper for the Indomitable Lions, has publicly supported the head of sport, Professor Narcisse Mouelle Kombi, by criticising Samuel Eto’o’s decisions regarding the technical staff.
Better still, the head of ONIES was satisfied with the performance of the Lions and the technical staff after the victory over CABO VERDE, declaring “the Indomitable Lions have created an environment conducive to performance (…) It is true that for the people, communion only begins with victory, but in reality, the sacred unity of the Indomitable Lions existed long before. The most important thing for everyone is victory, but I think they will remember it, because despite the distractions, they were happy to be together. They worked in an environment that they enjoyed and that they helped to create. He also denied that he would be travelling to Angola for today’s match
.Manchester United goalkeeper André Onana, meanwhile, has been in open and much-discussed conflict with the four-time African Ballon d’Or winner since the 2022 World Cup. A conflict that led to his temporary exclusion from the national team.
According to Jeune Afrique, his return to the national team was the result of a strategic collaboration between Narcisse Mouelle Kombi and Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh, Secretary General of the Presidency.
The latter constitute the political camp that wants to bring Samuel Eto’o back to his senses. Following on from his fine performance in Yaoundé against Cabo Verde, André Onana will be present in Luanda and should be in the starting line-up for this important match against Angola.
On the legal front, the minister has found a powerful ally in Abdouraman Hamadou Babba, president of Etoile Filante de Garoua, who is taking legal action to overturn the decisions of the Fecafoot boss. According to observers, this “legal battle by proxy” could cost Samuel Eto’o dearly.
The media are not to be outdone in this anti-Eto’o front. Journalists such as Jean-Bruno Tagne, a former supporter of the ex-Barça striker who has become his opponent, and activists such as Guibaï Gatama, who is convinced that the Fecafoot boss will soon fall, are waging a merciless war on the man they accuse of authoritarian excesses.
This media pressure is weakening Samuel Eto’o. The Cameroon Football Federation is not helping matters with the digital press either. For example, our colleagues at Cfoot, one of the most popular football media in Cameroon, were denied access to the Football Association’s headquarters last Friday:
Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh, Narcisse Mouelle Kombi, Chantal Biya, Oswald Baboké, Samuel Mvondo Ayolo, a political battle over Samuel Eto’o?
According to Jeune Afrique, the conflict has rekindled the clan war that is raging in Yaoundé, with the Etoudi Palace divided over the issue. While the First Lady, Chantal Biya, the Director of the Civil Cabinet, Samuel Mvondo Ayolo, and the Deputy Director of the Civil Cabinet, Oswald Baboké, are said to support Samuel Eto’o’s cause, the powerful Secretary General of the Presidency, Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh, is accused of using Sports Minister Narcisse Mouelle Kombi to achieve his own ends.
This information should be treated with caution, as Cameroon’s political networks are complex and sometimes sprawling. In a recent interview after the African Cup of Nations, Samuel Eto’o said that he believed in the father-son friendship between himself and Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh. The former Barcelona player was defending himself from believing that the Secretary General of the Presidency could pull a stunt behind his back, as the latter has always given him support and respect. This is clearly a misunderstanding of politics …
Who are Samuel Eto’o’s supporters in this conflict?
Although the Indomitable Lions top scorer is going through a tumultuous period at FECAFOOT, he can count on an endless list of Cameroonian and international personalities ready to support him in any situation. These include Lady Ponce and former artist Mokobe, who have not hesitated to use social networks to show their respect for Samuel Eto’o.
This news comes at a time when the Indomitable Lions seem to be regaining their momentum, as evidenced by their recent resounding victory over Cape Verde. However, the crisis between the Ministry of Sports and the Fécafoot, exacerbated by these internal tensions, threatens the team’s stability and has not left the Cameroonian public indifferent.
In the meantime, Lattaquant has revealed the likely line-up of the Indomitable Lions for this Tuesday evening’s match against Angola, and closes this article with the current mood within the squad in a video reported by our colleagues at Cfoot :
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