Young Indomitable Lions Bring Hope Back To Cameroon After Turmoil Of Africa Cup Buildup

In the end, even Samuel Eto’o was happy. Disappointment quickly turned to pride for Cameroon after its Africa Cup of Nations exit to Morocco in the quarterfinals.

Eto’o, the president of the Cameroonian Football Federation (FECAFOOT), remonstrated angrily during Friday’s match in Rabat, but afterward he spoke to the players in the locker room and commended them for the honor they restored to the team after its pre-tournament turmoil.

That was partly Eto’o’s fault as his federation fired coach Marc Brys less than three weeks before the Africa Cup, citing grievances including the Belgian’s alleged “disrespectful, biased and insubordinate acts” toward Eto’o and the federation, and “various professional failings” including the failure to qualify for the World Cup.

Brys was appointed Cameroon coach by the country’s sports ministry in April 2024, when FECAFOOT announced its “great astonishment” at his hiring. As he was hired by the ministry, Brys refused to accept his firing by the federation, and he reportedly named a Cameroon squad for the Africa Cup including captain Vincent Aboubakar and goalkeeper André Onana.

FECAFOOT appointed David Pagou as Brys’ successor, and the experienced Cameroonian league coach named his squad, too, leaving out Aboubakar and Onana among others who were on Brys’ list.

When Cameroon started with a win against Gabon, it was clear Pagou was in charge. But Pagou also took heart from the team’s progression given the short time he had to prepare.

“I’d like to remind you that we started on Dec. 16. It’s Jan 9, it hasn’t even been a month,” Pagou said. “We’re happy with these boys because they gave the people a lot of excitement, and that was the goal. … Unfortunately, Morocco cut us short. So we’ll return calmly and continue our progress.”

Pagou responded to every question he faced in the press conference by thanking the journalist for attending or addressing them by their name.

Looking to the future, the coach was optimistic about what can be achieved. Cameroon is a five-time Africa Cup champion and the first priority will be qualifying for the next tournament in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, as well as the 2030 World Cup.

“We’ve seen in such a short time the team we’ve built, and I believe we’ll retain the positive lessons and capitalize on what we’ve shown,” he said. “I think we are on the right track.”

Led by young players including 19-year-old forward Christian Kofane and 22-year-old midfielder Carlos Baleba, the Indomitable Lions impressed with their commitment and intensity in a draw against defending champion Ivory Coast, then a 2-1 win over Mozambique, followed by a 2-1 win over South Africa in the last 16. Morocco, playing in front of 65,000 of its supporters, was a challenge too big on Friday.

Cameroon’s hopes also took a blow from an early exit by right back Junior Tchamadeu, who was carried off in tears with what looked a serious knee injury after Noussair Mazraoui rolled over it in a duel for the ball.