Football/Cameroon: Signs of a Split between Fecafoot and One All Sports

A potential separation appears to be looming between the Cameroon Football Federation (Fecafoot) and the Thai firm One All Sports, the official kit supplier of the Cameroonian national football team. This development comes just over a year after they announced their collaboration.

The collaboration was unveiled on November 5, 2022, just two weeks before the Qatar World Cup, when the Asian brand revealed the jerseys that the Cameroonian national team, the Indomitable Lions, would wear.

This announcement marked the end of several weeks of controversy regarding the team’s apparel supplier, involving a dispute between Fecafoot and Le Coq Sportif, which had accused Fecafoot of a «unilateral» and «abrupt» termination of its contract.

While the case is currently in the hands of the legal system, little has been heard of it since the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

One All Sports, which had signed a three-year contract with Fecafoot, continued to outfit the Lions under the leadership of Rigobert Song.

However, just two months before the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon may face equipment-related challenges once again.

According to reports from “The Cameroonian”, both parties are likely to terminate their collaboration in December.

Behind this potential split, issues include an alleged breach of contract clauses by the American equipment provider and several disagreements with Fecafoot.

Recall that One All Sports had committed to paying Fecafoot an annual sum of 1 billion CFA francs, providing a brand-new bus for the Indomitable Lions in the second year of the contract, and offering equipment worth €1 million to Cameroonian national teams each year.

While it remains unclear which of these commitments was not fulfilled by One All Sports, the same source claims that Fecafoot will reveal its new equipment provider by mid-December.

This development contrasts with Samuel Eto’o’s announcement in November 2022 that the equipment provider would offer new designs for the Lions during the Africa Cup of Nations in Côte d’Ivoire.

«This jersey will be a collector’s item. It will only be used for the World Cup because we will have a different jersey design for the AFCON, but with the same equipment supplier. So, you should get it quickly because it won’t be available for much longer», he stated in a marketing campaign.

One year later, the situation could change, with some speculating about a possible return of Le Coq Sportif, especially following the reconciliation between Samuel Eto’o and Yannick Noah, the ambassador of the French equipment supplier in Cameroon. This is a developing story worth following.

Source: Infos-sport