AFCON 2025: Chaos in Eto’o’s house as Cameroon release two different tournament squads

Cameroon’s preparations for AFCON 2025 have descended into unprecedented turmoil, with Samuel Eto’o and national team manager Marc Brys locked in a full-scale power struggle.

Just days before the tournament, the Indomitable Lions find themselves with not one, but two competing squads, each backed by a different authority inside Cameroonian football.

The chaos erupted after Eto’o, marking his fourth year as president of the Cameroonian Football Federation, moved to sideline Brys and installed David Pagou as head coach through an emergency committee decision on December 1.

Pagou, already listed as Cameroon’s coach on FIFA’s website and introduced at a press conference alongside an entirely new backroom staff, fronted a 28-man AFCON squad that stunned the nation.

Notably absent were André Onana, Eric Choupo-Moting and Vincent Aboubakar, three of Cameroon’s most prominent stars.

Reports from The Sun sensationally claimed Eto’o pushed for Aboubakar’s omission to protect his own all-time national scoring record, with the veteran striker just 12 goals away from overtaking him.

The exclusions enraged fans and intensified confusion within the camp, especially with AFCON now only days away.

In a dramatic twist, Brys, insisting he is still legally employed by Cameroon’s Ministry of Sport until September 2026, rejected Eto’o’s move entirely.

Declaring the federation had no authority to sack him, the Belgian issued his own AFCON squad on Wednesday, reinstating Onana, Choupo-Moting and Aboubakar.

Speaking to VTM NIEUWS, a furious Brys said: “It’s always been Eto’o’s goal to get me out as quickly as possible. From the very first minute, he insulted me, and I reacted.”

He accused Eto’o of hand-picking a squad unfit to compete, arguing: “How can you go to the Africa Cup of Nations without a world-class goalkeeper? Or without Aboubakar?” Brys doubled down on TV5 Monde, stating he remained the only state-recognised coach until a presidential decree said otherwise.

With a history of clashes, including a prior walkout threat and Eto’o’s six-month FIFA ban in 2024, the fractured relationship has now plunged Cameroon into full-blown crisis, overshadowing their AFCON campaign with confusion, distrust and a battle for control at the highest level of the game.