A Manchester United star has received high praise from his international manager for removing certain figures among the national team’s hierarchy from the dressing room, leading to improved performances.
AFCON is a tournament that captures the interests of football fans both in Africa and around the world. The tournament showcases some of Africa’s top talents, as well as providing lower ranked AFrican teams a chance to compete with some of the continent’s best.
That said, this year’s instalment of the tournament has been plagued with controversy. From recent bust-ups between teammates Ademola Lookman and Victor Oshimen sparking boos from the crowd, to two different squads being named for Cameroon, this tournament has it all.
The fact that players must leave the clubs midseason does not bode well with other continents. Teams like Manchester United have lost key players in an availability crisis, which has played a factor in the sacking of manager Ruben Amorim.
But it’s the Red’s very own star who has been publicly praised by his national team’s head coach for ridding the dressing room of persons ‘part of Cameroon’s chaos’.
Mbeumo dubbed ‘Loyal Leuitenant’ with Cameroon
Manchester United attacker Bryan Mbeumo has been named by Cameroon manager David Pagou as a ‘loyal lieutenant’ for showing his commitment to his national side by ridding the dressing room of ‘egomanic’ figure Samuel Eto’o.
Cameroonian journalist Jean Claude Mbeded Fouda reported for Actu Cameroon, that the Cameroon manager was pleased with his player’s act of loyalty, saying this about Mbeumo and teammates Carlos Baleba and Danny Namasso, “No great coach can succeed without loyal lieutenants. That’s the fact. He who pays the piper calls the tune.”
The persistent nature of Fecafoot, the Cameroon Football Federation, led to an intervention by Mbeumo and the teammates named, to take action against Fecafoot to be banned from the dressing room. The players believed poor performances were due to Fecafoot’s drama.
Samuel Eto’o, Fecafoot’s president, has built the reputation of a controversial figure among the nation, sparking controversy when naming a different squad to former manager Marc Brys’ selected squad for this year’s AFCON just last month.
Cameroon were favourites to go far in the tournament, which has not been helped by the constant drama surrounding the national team. That said, Cameroon progressed to the quarter-finals on Sunday, where they will face hosts Morocco.
Pagou blames Eto’o for problems
Just like in Marc Brys’ short stint as manager of Cameroon, the nation’s icon, Samuel Eto’o, has been banned from the dressing room. Players and representatives of the national side see Eto’o as too big of a problem, leading to a decline in recent performances.
Sports Witness has reported that the Cameroon manager said the improvement in performances against Mozambique and South Africa means there is “Proof that they were the problem.”
The players and staff will be taking a sigh of relief as they can now get their heads down as they prepare for an almighty clash against Morocco on Friday.
This includes Mbeumo, who will have been notified of the recent sacking of Amorim back in Manchester. The 25-year-old hopefully won’t be fazed by all the drama, at AFCON or in the ranks of his club.
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