Three players from Colombe Sportive of Sangmélima, initially called up for a training camp with the local Lions, have been removed from the final list. The list, published by coach David Pagou through the Cameroonian Football Federation (FECAFOOT), no longer includes Gide Marcel Dilaleu Touko, Sombang A Menang Edouard, and Jean Hugues Eyango Priso, despite them having received their call-up notices.
This exclusion comes in a context where Samuel Eto'o, president of FECAFOOT, has publicly expressed his dissatisfaction with certain journalists and with coach Marc Brys. Eto'o accuses Brys of holding the country hostage and criticizes journalists whom he suspects of being financed by ministries to discredit him.
The relationship between the governing bodies of Cameroonian football and the state authorities has been strained for several months, particularly regarding the choice of coach. This situation has created an electric atmosphere around the Indomitable Lions, with disagreements over team management and appointments.
Furthermore, Samuel Eto'o recently revealed the financial details of David Pagou's contract, stating that the coach does not cost the federation much and that he even found his initial salary too high. Eto'o took this opportunity to defend his policy of favoring local skills and paying them fairly, as opposed to foreign coaches often seen as incompetent and too expensive.
Eto'o insisted that if FECAFOOT can afford to pay millions to mediocre foreign coaches, it can pay billions to a brilliant Cameroonian. This approach marks a paradigm shift in the management of Cameroonian football, where the emphasis is on valuing local talent and reducing dependence on foreign experts.
The decision to exclude these three players from Colombe Sportive comes in a context of tension and change within Cameroonian football. The specific reasons for their exclusion were not explicitly mentioned in the sources.
David Pagou embodies this new era, with an upgraded contract that reflects the confidence placed in him by FECAFOOT. It remains to be seen whether this bold strategy will bear fruit on the field, but Samuel Eto'o seems determined to defend his vision of Cameroonian football.
