Andre Onana at centre of Cameroon AFCON 2025 controversy

The Africa Cup of Nations is only a matter of weeks away now, with most teams now publishing their preliminary and final squad lists for the tournament over the coming days.

However, for Cameroon’s national team, it’s far from being that simple.

Last week, the Cameroonian Football Federation, FECAFOOT, issued the dismissal of head coach Marc Brys after Samuel Eto’o was elected as the association’s president.

Brys’ assistant David Pagou was tasked with stepping up in the interim of finding a new manager, releasing his 28-man list for the upcoming tournament.

As expected, Manchester United’s Bryan Mbeumo was included in the call-ups, however loaned-out goalkeeper Andre Onana was left off the list.

Now, there’s been a major twist in the tale, as Marc Brys has published his own squad list, rejecting the news that he’s been sacked, causing much confusion.

In Brys’ list, many of the names are the same, however Andre Onana is one of the key differences, being included by the Belgian manager.

The issue at the heart of the confusion, as reported by Elbotola, is that Brys was appointed by Cameroon’s Ministry of Sport, with his contract in place until 30th September 2026.

As such, he is technically still in contract, claiming to have not received any official termination letter from the Ministry of Sport.

However, this political battle between the Ministry of Sport and FECAFOOT, which has been bubbling for some time, is now affecting the preparations for the Africa Cup of Nations, at a time when the side have failed to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.

In response to the chaos and confusion, Actu Cameroun has reported that several unnamed Cameroon internationals have contacted the Ministry of Sport asking for the matter to be resolved, with some considering withdrawing from international duty.

As such, the main contention right now is who the CAF are going to recognise, Marc Brys’ Ministry backed team, including Andre Onana, or David Pagou’s FECAFOOT backed side, leaving the United keeper in Turkey.