Cameroon Football Federation (FECAFOOT) Acknowledges Exclusion from National Team Preparation

After a semblance of peace was found last Thursday to allow the Indomitable Lions to start their training camp smoothly, the "war" between the Ministry of Sports and Physical Education (Minsep) and Fecafoot resumed last Sunday, preventing Vincent Aboubakar and his teammates from strictly following the beginning of their preparation program for last Saturday's match against Cape Verde as initially planned and communicated by Fecafoot.

Yesterday, Monday, was a perfect illustration. While the five-time African champions were expected at the Ngoa-Ekellé stadium at 3 p.m. for their very first training session, it was finally nearly two hours later that the players under Marc Brys's leadership arrived. The reason: training equipment was not available. Signs of a day full of twists began to show during yesterday morning's traditional walk. As the quarterfinalists of the last Africa Cup of Nations were expected in their usual colors provided by their supplier, each player showed up dressed in their own colors and style, in a rather serene atmosphere.

All this took place around their base camp, the Hilton Hotel in Yaoundé, under heavy escort by law enforcement and security forces. After this relaxation session, the Indomitable Lions returned to their headquarters to await the first session of the training camp scheduled exactly at 3 p.m. Meanwhile, a sea of supporters awaited them at the stadium entrance. Almost desperate after a long wait of over two hours, it was finally around 5 p.m. that they were greeted by the arrival of the Lions and their staff appointed by the State of Cameroon, still under heavy police-gendarmerie escort. The group, almost complete, had an hour for their training session.

The session took place in a relaxed atmosphere, at the end of which Bryan Mbeumo and Carlos Baleba engaged in a question-and-answer session with the press. "I am very happy to be here for my first time with the national team. I am very happy to wear the green-red-yellow. The atmosphere is good, and everyone is happy to be here," testified Brighton midfielder Carlos Baleba. A testimony that contrasts, however, with Fecafoot's statement earlier in the day.

Indeed, after the technical staff appointed by Fecafoot President Samuel Eto’o was denied access to the Lions' headquarters, the institution decided to react through a statement issued by its secretary-general, Blaise Djounang. In the note, it decided to disengage from the preparation of the Lions for these two upcoming matches, taking "note of Fecafoot's exclusion from the preparation of the matches between the Cameroon national team and those of Cape Verde and Angola on June 8 and 11, 2024, in Yaoundé and Luanda," it said. A disengagement that is beginning to be felt with the cessation of ticket sales for access to the stadium for next Saturday's match.