AFCON 2025: The Cameroonian paradox of a manager paid to stay home

The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations revealed an absurd administrative situation in Cameroon. Despite being sidelined before the tournament, Belgian coach Marc Brys, recruited by the state in April 2024, remains legally in post. According to administrative sources, his two-and-a-half-year contract was never officially terminated.

As a direct result, he received his bonus for the quarter-final qualification, approximately 20 million CFA francs, and continues to receive his monthly salary. “I am still the coach,” he asserts.

Conversely, David Pagou, the coach who replaced him on the bench during AFCON, has received no salary due to the absence of a contract signed with the state.

The Ministry of Sports argues that the FA, which imposed this change, should pay him. The federation retorts that the state must pay the national team’s staff.

This imbroglio highlights the serious governance failures plaguing Cameroonian football, where sporting and administrative decisions remain chronically out of sync.

Source/ Sportnewsafrica