YAOUNDE: Between being eliminated from 2026 World Cup qualifying and opening the Africa Cup of Nations in three weeks’ time, Cameroon fired their coach and hired a replacement.
New coach David Pagou immediately dropped captain Vincent Aboubakar and goalkeeper André Onana from his squad announced late Monday for the AFCON that opens on Dec. 21 in Morocco.
Pagou replaced Marc Brys, the veteran Belgian coach whose appointment last year seemed to be the sports ministry’s choice against the wishes of the soccer federation led by Cameroon great Samuel Eto’o.
The federation on Monday published a list of grievances with Brys including claims of subterfuge and insubordination.
The last game for Brys was losing in the African qualifying playoffs for the World Cup last month, 1-0 against Congo.
Pagou is an experienced coach in the Cameroon league and picked a 28-player squad for AFCON missing Onana, playing on loan from Manchester United at Trabzonspor in the Turkish league, and the 33-year-old Aboubakar.
His 45 national team goals are behind only the 56 by Eto’o, and include the late winning goal in the final against Egypt to seal the 2017 African title.
Cameroon’s squad includes Man United forward Bryan Mbeumo and are preparing to start their group on Dec. 24 against Gabon. Defending champion Ivory Coast and Mozambique are also in the group.
Cameroon fires coach 3 weeks before Africa Cup and new hire omits Onana, Aboubakar
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Cameroon fires coach 3 weeks before Africa Cup and new hire omits Onana, Aboubakar
- New coach David Pagou immediately dropped captain Vincent Aboubakar and goalkeeper André Onana
- The last game for Brys was losing in the African qualifying playoffs for the World Cup last month
Trump lauds Infantino for ‘record breaking’ World Cup
- Trump said: “You’ve done a fantastic job, a great leader in sports and a great gentleman”
- Trump claimed sales were selling at a pace never seen before
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump turned the spotlight onto FIFA president Gianni Infantino ahead of Friday’s 2026 World Cup draw in Washington, praising the football boss’ organization of the world’s biggest sporting event.
Infantino has been criticized in recent months by some observers who accuse him of drawing uncomfortably close to Trump, whose administration has taken a high-profile role in US preparations for what will be the biggest and most logistically-challenging World Cup ever.
The soccer boss attended Trump’s inauguration in January and has previously said the US leader deserved global recognition for his role in brokering a ceasefire in the Middle East.
FIFA plans to unveil its own peace prize during the draw ceremony with Trump the expected recipient. Spotting Infantino in the audience during a ceremony in Washington marking the signing of a peace treaty between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, Trump congratulated him for what he described as record-breaking ticket demand for the first 48-team World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
“Gianni, thank you very much,” Trump said. “You’ve done a fantastic job, a great leader in sports and a great gentleman.”
Teams will learn their group-stage fate later on Friday at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, in a draw for a tournament that stretches across three countries and 16 cities, from Vancouver to Mexico City.
Trump claimed sales were selling at a pace never seen before. “I can report to you that we have sold more tickets than any country anywhere in the world at this stage of the game,” he said, adding that demand had already “broken all records”. Over one million tickets have been purchased so far by fans from 212 countries, FIFA said last month.
After the presidential shout-out, Infantino did not speak publicly.
The FIFA president is overseeing his third men’s World Cup, after Russia in 2018 and Qatar in 2022.
