Cameroon football was plunged into a deeper crisis on Tuesday when a meeting between football federation president Samuel Eto'o and the country's new Belgian coach, Marc Brisse, turned into a heated confrontation.
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It was the first time Eto'o had met with Bliss, who was appointed by the Cameroonian sports ministry in early April without the advice of the country's football federation, creating a dispute between the pair.
Bliss had been invited by Eto'o to a “working session” as Cameroon prepares for next month's World Cup qualifiers, but several of his support staff, also appointed by the sports ministry, were denied entry to the FECAFOOT federation building in Yaounde.
A video taken by a journalist and circulating on several social media sites (@AllezLesLions) shows Eto'o welcoming Bliss, but their exchange quickly turned soap operatic.
First, Eto'o angrily chased away ministry officials who were trying to attend the meeting, and then he got into a heated argument with Bliss, who quickly left the venue.
FECAFOOT initially denounced his appointment as a unilateral decision by Sports Minister Narcisse Mouel Combito but expressed its willingness to work with the Belgian athlete, with a statement due to be issued at a later date.
Usually, football federations appoint and pay the coaches, but in some African countries, governments do this, especially when federations are strapped for cash.
Eto'o, a former African Footballer of the Year who enjoyed a glittering career in Europe, has sought to assert a degree of independence but has also had to tread carefully in a country where issues surrounding the football team are a top priority for the government.
Cameroon's long-time president, Paul Biya, has frequently intervened in team matters, famously demanding that 38-year-old Roger Milla be included in the national team for the 1990 World Cup.
The veteran striker went on to score vital goals as Cameroon became the first African nation to reach the quarter-finals.
Cameroon has qualified for the World Cup eight times, more than any other African country, and the Indomitable Lions have been one of the country's main assets.
The team will face Cape Verde Islands in Yaounde on June 8 in their latest qualifying match for the 2026 finals in North America, before playing away to Angola three days later.
Under coach Rigobert Son, Cameroon beat Mauritius at home and drew with Libya away in their first two Group D qualifiers last November. Son's contract was not renewed after Cameroon's exit from the round of 16 at the Africa Cup of Nations finals in January.
(Reuters)
