Cameroon: Volleyball Federation on the edge of a new electoral blockage

The stop shot came from above. By refusing to endorse the organization of regional elections that Bello Bourdanne intended to launch discreetly in the ten volleyball leagues of the country, the Cameroonian authorities have broken a maneuver presented internally as a "way out of the crisis". In reality, according to several sources close to the file, it was an attempt at regularization, intended to produce an election report tailored to convince the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) to definitively recognize Bourdanne’s contested legitimacy. An initiative deemed inadmissible by the ministry, which no longer wants to be associated with a case that has become politically and legally toxic, learned Sport News Africa.

A story with twists and turns
Since 2023, the Cameroonian Volleyball Federation (Fécavolley) has been living under an unprecedented regime of two-sphalism: two presidents, two general assemblies, two executive offices, two championships. On one side, Julien Serge Abouem, re-elected in an election held in Yaoundé on February 4, 2023. On the other hand, Bello Bourdanne, elected two weeks earlier, on 20 January, by another general assembly, and recognized at the time by the Ministry of Sports and the National Olympic and Sports Committee of Cameroon (CNOSC). This initial political choice of guardianship, in contradiction with some of the actors and soon with justice, has permanently weakened the federal edifice.

Implored by the Abouem camp, the court of first instance of Yaoundé had suspended the election of Bello Bourdanne, before the Central Appeal Court overturned this suspension in January 2023. But the judicial saga did not stop there. The Supreme Court then ordered the suspension of the execution of the judgment of the Court of Appeal, restoring air to the Abouem camp. The coup de grâce occurred on February 27, 2024, when the Court of First Instance noted the absence of a formal mandate for the delegate who convened the assembly that elected Bourdanne, resulting in the cancellation of "all legal consequences" from this election. A clear decision, but remained dead letter on the ground.

CAVB and FIVB overwhelmed by the events
This persistent distrust of court decisions places Fécavolley under direct threat from international bodies. The African Volleyball Confederation (CAVB) and the FIVB have, on several occasions, warned about the risks of suspension related to the organization of competing electoral processes. The president of the CAVB, Bouchra Hajij, publicly acknowledged it: continental and international authorities received contradictory letters, without knowing who to rely on, before recalling a fundamental principle: national court decisions are sovereign and must be binding on all. A reminder remained without concrete effect, Bello Bourdanne continuing to organize competitions and meetings as if nothing had happened.

It is in this context that the abortive attempt at elections in the regional leagues takes place. But the Ministry of Sports, already put in difficulty by its initial position in 2023, this time made a clear refusal. On the one hand, not to contradict ourselves, after having reminded in 2025 that any electoral process must be uniform across all sports federations. On the other hand to avoid endorsing an operation likely to worsen the conflict with justice and international bodies. Result: the Fécavolley finds itself once again in an institutional grey area. 

The national championship organized by the  Bourdanne Executive, whose regrouping was scheduled for the end of January 2026 in Douala, was suspended on administrative instructions, as the federation recognized. Officially, activities continue "normally" elsewhere in the territory. Unofficially, Cameroonian volleyball is paying the price of an unresolved governance crisis, where fluctuating political decisions, ignored judicial judgments and individual survival strategies intermingle. At this stage, the question is no longer who is president, but how much longer can the federation avoid a heavy international sanction?