YAOUNDE, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Cameroon's Minister of Sports and Physical Education, Narcisse Moulle Kombi on Thursday appealed for unity amidst growing tension between the ministry and Cameroon Football Federation (FECAFOOT).
The Indomitable Lions of Cameroon will play crucial World Cup qualifiers against Cape Verde on Saturday and Angola three days later but weeks of crisis among football stakeholders in the country could impact the performance of the team.
"I implore you to open your spirits and heart to victory. Let's adhere to optimism. The challenges can only be fought with the contribution of everyone, with positive contributions from everyone," Kombi said at a meeting to deliberate on the state of preparedness of the national men's football team.
"It is therefore a question of appealing to the demands of responsibility, to the consideration of the primacy of the general interest, the interest of Cameroon in the sporting field, which surpasses sectoral, fragmentary and partial interests. We appealed to the consolidation of the sacred union around the Indomitable Lions," he added during the meeting in the capital.
Cameroon football has been in crisis since April after Kombi appointed Belgium's Marc Brys as head coach, but his choice was initially rejected by FECAFOOT, which complained that it was not involved in the appointment procedure "in disregard of texts". The association later confirmed Brys as the new head coach, but dismissed some members of the technical staff appointed by the minister, and appointed new ones to replace them.
On Monday, FECAFOOT did not provide training kits to the team after Brys insisted to work only with the technical staff appointed by the minister.
On Wednesday, FECAFOOT president Samuel Eto'o said, only the technical staff appointed by FECAFOOT will be allowed to access to the stadium during the match between Cameroon and Cape Verde. ■
