The football federation has expressed gratitude to the government, particularly the Head of State, Paul Biya, for providing the over one billion FCFA funds to settle the dispute between the federation and former Indomitable Lions head coach, Antonio Conceiçao.
The Cameroon Football Federation, FECAFOOT has expressed its thankfulness to the government of Cameroon for its decision to pay the 1,212, 336, 810 FCFA that the federation has since 2023, been owing former head coach of the Indomitable Lions, Antonio Conceicao as indemnities for the wrongfully firing of the Portuguese trainer. The federation made the declaration last Sunday in a statement signed by the head of the communication’s unit of the national football governing body, Jean Marie Nkoussa.
FECAFOOT in the statement which came a day after the Ministry of Sports and Physical Education announced its decision to make the payment, hailed the government for continuously making sacrifices in a bid to ensure that Cameroonian football continues growing. “FECAFOOT would like to express its sincere gratitude to the Cameroonian Government, and in particular to the President of the Republic, Head of State, His Excellency Paul BIYA, for his constant concern for Cameroonian football, which was most remarkable in the abovementioned act of rescue,” the federation said in the long statement.
FECAFOOT disputes Sports ministry’ narrative
Despite coming out to praise the government for what it describes as a kind gesture, FECAFOOT disputed the narrative that the Ministry of Sports and Physical Education sent out while announcing government’s decision to make the payments to the Portuguese. The sports ministry had in a statement, stated that the government was making the payment out of goodwill to ensure that Cameroonian national football teams are not sanctioned. The ministry insisted it was carrying a burden that belongs entirely to FECAFOOT. “…The government has decided to do the payments although burden falls on FECAFOOT, which has been declared at fault and whose financial default is mentioned by FIFA,” the Prof Narcisse Mouelle Kombi-led ministry said.
“This is proof that the State is putting in place all the necessary and appropriate conditions for our Indomitable Lions to perform to the best of their ability. This is the right place to recall the exhortation of the President of the Republic on 10 February this year, who, after congratulating the Indomitable Lions and their coaches, called for ‘a sense of responsibility from all those involved” the ministry further added. FECAFOOT in its statement on Sunday, highlighted several of what it describes as “inaccuracies”, in the ministry’s declaration. The football governing body revealed that contrary to what the ministry had stated, FECAFOOT was not directly owing the Portuguese trainer.
The federation said it had no business with the trainer because the decision to sack the Portuguese was a general one, arrived at after consultation with stakeholders, including the Head of State and confirmed after a meeting with the Ministry of Sports and Physical Education. “The termination of the contract of Coach Antonio Conceicao and the entire staff due to insufficient results was approved by the very high agreement of the President of the Republic and implemented by all the administrations concerned at a meeting convened for this purpose by the Minister of Sports on July 14, 2022 and held at Ministry of Sports and Physical Education under his leadership on July 22, 2022,” the federation said.
The federation said it had been “condemned in this lawsuit because of its capacity as FIFA’s sole interlocutor for Cameroonian football,” adding that it is “unhealthy to try to blame FECAFOOT for the unilateral termination of coach Conceicao’s contract and the ensuing lawsuit.” The Samuel Eto’o Fils-led body insisted that the body has over the years, believed in the force of argument and not the argument of force, citing examples where its actions led to the amicable resolution of conflicts like those that involved former German trainer, Volke Finke and a host of others. The federation promised to continue working with authorities for the interest of Cameroonian. “Once again resolving to align itself totally behind the words of wisdom of the President of the Republic, Head of State, FECAFOOT humbly requests the same attitude from the other stakeholders,” the federation said.
