Yaoundé, Cameroon – December 2, 2025 – In a stunning double blow to Cameroon's preparations for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), the Indomitable Lions have unveiled a squad without star goalkeeper André Onana while sacking head coach Marc Brys just three weeks before their Group F opener against Gabon in Agadir, Morocco. The announcements, made on Monday by the Cameroonian Football Federation (FECAFOOT), have plunged the five-time AFCON champions into disarray, raising serious questions about team cohesion and leadership at a pivotal moment.
Onana, the 29-year-old Manchester United goalkeeper currently on a season-long loan at Trabzonspor, was widely expected to be the first-choice keeper for the tournament running from December 21, 2025 to January 18, 2026. His exclusion marks the latest dramatic twist in a turbulent international career.
The 28-man squad, selected by newly appointed interim coach David Pagou, features Premier League talents Manchester United forward Bryan Mbeumo and Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Carlos Baleba. However, the absence of several established stars – including Onana, veteran captain Vincent Aboubakar, Napoli’s André-Frank Zambo Anguissa, and defender Michael Ngadeu – has dominated discussion.
Pagou, a 56-year-old Cameroonian who previously managed domestic giants Coton Sport FC, was appointed hours after Brys’ dismissal. He now faces the daunting task of uniting a fractured group against defending champions Ivory Coast, Gabon, and Mozambique in a challenging Group F.
Onana has earned 59 caps for Cameroon since his debut in 2015 and has featured in major tournaments, including the 2021 AFCON (where Cameroon finished third) and the 2022 World Cup. His international journey has been marred by controversy: he was sent home from Qatar 2022 after testing positive for a banned substance (later explained as an accidental mix-up with medication), served a reduced ban, and missed the 2023 AFCON entirely following a disciplinary dispute with former coach Rigobert Song over late arrival from club duty.
At Manchester United, Onana arrived for £47.2 million in the summer of 2023 to replace David de Gea. Despite moments of brilliance, his first season was plagued by high-profile errors, particularly in the Champions League. The appointment of Ruben Amorim as manager in November 2024 accelerated his marginalisation; the Portuguese coach’s preference for a high defensive line and rapid distribution exposed Onana’s occasional lapses. With Altay Bayındır and young Belgian Senne Lammens pushing for minutes, United sanctioned a full-season loan to Trabzonspor in September 2025, with the Turkish club covering his £120,000-per-week wages. In Turkey, Onana has shown signs of recovery, keeping three clean sheets in ten Süper Lig appearances.
The deeper context of Onana’s omission lies in the ongoing power struggle within Cameroonian football. Federation president Samuel Eto’o, freshly re-elected unopposed for a second term, has moved decisively to assert control. The sacking of Marc Brys – a Belgian coach appointed by the Ministry of Sport in 2024 – came after months of public tension, including a widely circulated video of Eto’o confronting Brys on the touchline. FECAFOOT accused Brys of professional misconduct, poor results (including elimination from 2026 World Cup qualifying), and undermining federation authority.
David Pagou, one of Brys’ former assistants, is seen as a federation loyalist. Many observers interpret the squad selection as a purge of players perceived to have been close to the ministry or the previous regime. Veteran striker Vincent Aboubakar, Cameroon’s all-time leading AFCON goalscorer in a single tournament (eight in 2021), has also been left out, as has Napoli midfielder Zambo Anguissa (officially due to injury, though doubts persist). Eric-Maxim Choupo-Moting, another experienced forward, was similarly overlooked.
In their place, Pagou has turned to youth. The goalkeeping department now relies on Angers duo Simon Omossola and Dévis Epassy, alongside teenage Marseille prospect Simon Ngapandouetnbu – long touted as Onana’s long-term successor. The defence features Rennes’ Christopher Wooh and Ajax’s Jean-Charles Castelletto, while midfield includes promising talents such as Brighton’s Carlos Baleba and Rapid Vienna’s Martin Ndzie.
Up front, Bryan Mbeumo – enjoying a breakout season at Manchester United with ten goals already – is expected to lead the line. His pace and clinical finishing will be crucial, especially against Ivory Coast’s robust defence anchored by Sebastien Haller.
Critics have been scathing. Former Cameroon coach Rigobert Song described the squad as “Eto’o’s team, not Cameroon’s – a purge disguised as renewal.” Many fans fear the loss of experience will prove fatal in a tournament where defensive solidity and big-game know-how often decide outcomes.
Onana himself responded diplomatically from Turkey: “I have always served my country with pride. These decisions hurt, but the Indomitable Lions will always roar on.”
With the team due to begin a pre-tournament camp in Rabat, interim coach Pagou has less than three weeks to forge unity from division. Cameroon have not won the AFCON since 2017 and were absent from the last World Cup. For a nation with five continental titles and a proud footballing heritage, the stakes in Morocco could not be higher.
Failure would not only damage immediate prospects but could intensify scrutiny on Samuel Eto’o’s leadership and deepen the rift between federation and ministry – a conflict that has overshadowed Cameroonian football for years.
As the December 24 opener against Gabon approaches, the Indomitable Lions find themselves at a crossroads: renewal or regret.
