The Cameroon national team has dropped a bombshell just weeks before the AFCON 2025 kicks off in Morocco: goalkeeper André Onana (Trabzonspor, on loan from Man Utd) and long-time captain Vincent Aboubakar have been excluded from the 28-man squad. Even more dramatically, head coach Marc Brys was sacked the same day the list was announced, with assistant David Pagou stepping in as interim boss.
This massive shakeup, confirmed by Cameroon’s football federation (Fecafoot) on December 1, 2025, has fans and analysts reeling. It’s a bold reset after Cameroon’s failure to qualify for the 2026 World Cup — and a huge gamble for the five-time AFCON champs entering Group F (vs. Gabon, Congo, Uganda).
Why the Big Names Got Axed
- Onana: The 29-year-old’s rocky 2025 — including a Trabzonspor loan after Man Utd benchings and past national team drama (2022 World Cup walkout) — sealed his fate. Pagou opted for Fabrice Ondoa (Marseille) and others as the No. 1.
- Aboubakar: The 33-year-old veteran (20 goals in 76 caps) was overlooked despite his leadership; Pagou favors younger forwards like Bryan Mbeumo (Brentford/Man Utd links? Wait, no — Brentford) for fresh energy.
Other exclusions: Bayern’s Eric-Maxim Choupo-Moting (36), Napoli’s André-Frank Zambo Anguissa, and defender Michael Ngadeu — signaling a generational purge.
The Coach Chaos: Brys Out, Pagou In
Brys (63), appointed April 2024, lasted just eight months amid poor results and federation clashes. Fecafoot president Samuel Eto’o (re-elected last weekend) cited “subterfuge” and “misconduct,” pulling the trigger days before the tournament. Pagou (56), a domestic league veteran, now leads the Lions with Martin Ntoungou Mpile as assistant.
Eto’o’s history of coach sackings (Toni Conceição, Rigobert Song) continues — but at what cost to AFCON hopes?
Cameroon’s Group F Path
- Opener: vs. Gabon in Agadir (December 24)
- Full Squad Highlights: Mbeumo (Brentford forward), Carlos Baleba (Brighton midfielder), Fabrice Ondoa (Marseille GK).
Cameroon, last AFCON winners in 2017, aim to reclaim glory after a 2023 quarterfinal exit. But without Onana’s big-game experience and Aboubakar’s goals, it’s a high-wire act.
Fans are divided: Some hail the youth injection; others cry “self-sabotage.” Pagou: “This squad has hunger and unity — that’s our edge.”
AFCON 2025 starts December 21 — will the Lions roar or falter? Sound off below!
#AFCON2025 #AndreOnana #CameroonSquad #MarcBrysSacked #IndomitableLions
