By Etienne Mainimo Mengnjo
The Minister of Sport and Physical Education, Prof. Narcisse Mouelle Kombi, has said that the recent appointment of the technical staff of the Cameroon National Football team has been approved by the Highest Authority in the country.
The strongly worded message is contained in a three-page document sent to the President of the Cameroon Football Federation, FECAFOOT, Samuel Eto’o, dated April 5. The latter is sent as a reply to the letter that was sent to Minister Mouelle Kombi rejecting the appointment of the technical staff of the Cameroon National football team.
“…we would like to inform you that the Ministry of Sport and Physical Education has already taken all the necessary, appropriate, and useful measures, in conjunction with the other State administrations concerned, to ensure that the new coach-selector, Mr. Marc BRYS, and the other members of the national team’s technical, administrative, and medical staff, whose list has been approved by the Very High Hierarchy, take up their duties. Marc BRYS and the other members of the national team’s technical, administrative, and medical staff, whose list has been approved by the Very High Hierarchy,” Prof. Mouelle Kombi said.
The Minister pointed out that the decision to appoint the technical team of the national team is based on the basis of article 9 of the MINSEP-FECAFOOT convention of February 5, 2015, giving full latitude to the State to recruit and make supervisors available to its national football teams.
To this effect, Minister Mouelle Kombi said, the State acted in good faith and does not in any way affect FECAFOOT’s autonomy and does not violate any of the ‘supranational regulations’ to which FECAFOOT refers. On the contrary, it takes full account of them.
Article 9 (1): “The members of the management structures of national football teams are recruited either on the basis of a contract signed with the President of the Cameroon Football Federation, after the obligatory opinion of the Minister in charge of sports, or on the basis of a provision by the State.”
The Minister indicated that the choice and appointment of the entire management team was made from a teleological and strategic point of view, with a concern for efficiency and consistency in achieving the performance objectives assigned to the Indomitable Lions.
“In doing so, the sovereign State, which has full competence for the authentic interpretation and application of its regulatory acts, has assumed its responsibilities as owner of the Indomitable Lions, the heritage of the Cameroonian people who expect a new lease of life and a renewed fighting spirit from them,” the Minister said.
The Minister said around thirty applications were received at MINSEP, including three transmitted by FECAFOOT. With regard to the three applications submitted by FECAFOOT, each presented exorbitant salary expectations which the State could not pay. As a result, a rigorous selection process also led to the identification of other potential technical, administrative, and medical managers.
As is tradition, all the short-lists were submitted to the High Arbitration and Sanction Committee of the Presidency of the Republic, which duly validated and approved the composition of the new technical, administrative, and medical staff of the Indomitable Lions, proposed by the Ministry in charge, with Marc BRYS as Coach-Selector.
In a letter (No. 048/FECAFOOT/PDT/DIRCAB/2024) dated April 3, 2024, sent to Prof. Narcisse Mouelle Kombi, Eto’o said the football association cannot recognize appointments made outside the legal and regulatory framework.
FECAFOOT said they were not contacted in the procedures of appointing the coach and reiterates that the position of coach is a competence devolved to the national federation under the terms of Decree No. 2014/384 of July 26, 2014, relating to the organization and operation of national football teams.
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