AFCON 2025 (Q) - Cameroon: Marc Brys lashes out at Fecafoot and the administration

Marc Brys has gone on the offensive again. On Wednesday, in a match moved to Johannesburg, Cameroon were held to a goalless draw (0-0) by Namibia on matchday 5 of the 2025 AFCON qualifiers. Already qualified, the Indomitable Lions nonetheless went into the game in far from ideal conditions.

The absence of regular starters such as Bryan Mbeumo, André-Frank Zambo Anguissa and Carlos Baleba, logistical constraints, a late journey and a rushed preparation all seriously hampered the team's performance. Arriving in Johannesburg less than 24 hours before kick-off, the Cameroonians were not even able to carry out the usual pitch inspection before the game.

"This must never happen again"

It was a situation that once again irritated Marc Brys, who made no secret of his displeasure. Visibly annoyed, he lamented the disorganisation that disrupted his team's preparation. "It's very difficult to have a training session with eleven players when they won't be in the starting eleven. We only worked on small things. So, as you can see, you lose much of your established understanding… The only lesson we must take from this is that it must never happen again", the head coach insisted in an interview with SABC.

Read more: AFCON 2025 (Q): Cameroon held to a draw by Namibia

It is not the first time Brys has spoken out, and he has already had a few outbursts since taking charge. The latest was in October, when he threatened to resign over what he considers poor management by the Cameroonian Football Federation (Fecafoot), which had not registered his assistant with CAF. In his comments, the Belgian coach appears to point the finger at the administration, while not sparing his "favourite enemy", Fecafoot. "From Yaoundé to here, it took us 9 hours and that is unacceptable", he said, adding that these constraints forced him to concentrate solely on set pieces, for lack of time to put a more elaborate tactical plan in place.

With this latest outburst, Marc Brys is sending a clear message to the authorities, calling for better organisation and for the team's preparation needs to be taken into account. With Cameroon hoping to make an impact at AFCON 2025, these repeated calls for better management could decide the future of the Belgian coach at the helm of the Indomitable Lions. Ironically, it was he who wanted the team to go through Yaoundé to start preparing for this match, while Fecafoot wanted to bring the squad together directly in South Africa to save time...