Samuel Eto’o, the president of the football federation and a former standout forward for Cameroon, apologised to national team coach Marc Brys on Thursday after the two had a contentious encounter earlier in the week.
The former Barcelona striker further stated that Brys will stay in his role following the announcement on Wednesday that the Belgian would be replaced as Cameroon’s head coach.
“I apologise because during our first unfortunate meeting, there was a lot of emotion… but the Cameroonian people are more important than us, and it is for them that we must work,” said Eto’o at a press conference.
Eto’o was referring to an incident captured on video during his first meeting with Brys, which was widely shared on social media Tuesday.
The pair were seen to engage in a heated argument, before Brys left abruptly.
“Your mission is not an easy one, despite your qualities and experience, but you should know that you will have our support,” added the two-time Africa Cup of Nations winner.
Brys was appointed to the role in April by Cameroon’s sport ministry, much to the astonishment of the country’s football federation (Fecafoot) and its president Eto’o wrote to the ministry to denounce its “illegal” appointment of the 62-year-old.
Fecafoot said it regretted not being involved “closely, nor remotely” in the selection process for the new coach and his staff.
Belgian Brys will now oversee Cameroon’s next two crucial matches in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, against Cape Verde on June 8 and Angola three days later.
