The President of the Cameroonian Football Federation (FECAFOOT), Samuel Eto'o, has publicly defended the renewal of David Pagou's contract as coach of the Indomitable Lions. This decision comes amid growing concerns about promoting local expertise within the federation.
Eto'o stated that he fully supports the salary increase for Pagou, even reporting that the coach himself was surprised by the proposed amount. "President, it's too much!" Pagou reportedly said, demonstrating some humility in the face of this financial commitment.
Beyond the contractual aspect, Eto'o justifies this choice by a desire to rehabilitate national expertise. He questions the logic of spending large sums on foreign coaches deemed underperforming, when it would be more judicious to invest in Cameroonian skills. For Eto'o, sports sovereignty involves valuing local human resources.
"When I renewed David Pagou's contract, he said to me: 'President, it's too much!' I replied that if the Federation had more resources, I would have given him even more. Because if it is possible to spend millions of FCFA to remunerate an incompetent foreign coach, then it is legitimate to invest billions of FCFA to value a competent Cameroonian coach," he said.
David Pagou, born on January 13, 1969, in Kaélé, is a Cameroonian football coach who currently manages the Cameroon national team. He was appointed coach of the national team in December 2025, replacing Marc Brys. Before taking over the national team, Pagou had a successful coaching career in Cameroonian football, notably leading PWD Bamenda to their first Elite One title in 2020 and the Cameroonian Cup in 2021.
Despite a short preparation period, Pagou led the Indomitable Lions to the quarter-finals of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations. Samuel Eto'o has confirmed that Pagou will remain Cameroon's head coach, ending speculation about his future after the 2025 AFCON. Eto'o stressed that this decision was deliberate and strategic, emphasizing the importance of stability as the national team goes through a crucial rebuilding phase.
