Warriors look to compound Lions’ woes 

The Brave Warriors have remained tight-lipped on the chaos surrounding the Indomitable Lions, their hosts for tomorrow’s 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in Garoua.

Their silence suggests they are focused on upsetting Cameroon again, an outcome that compounds matters for the Cameroonian senior national team.

The lead up to the encounter has been tumultuous, with a simmering impasse between the Cameroon Football Federation (Fecafoot) and the west African nation’s sport ministry dominating the build-up.

It took Fifa and the country’s prime minister, Joseph Ngute, to calm tensions and broker a temporary ceasefire to allow the five-time African champions to honour tomorrow’s grudge match against Namibia in Garoua, followed by a meeting with Zimbabwe in Kampala, Uganda, three days later.

The warring parties were at loggerheads over the venue of the training camp and where Saturday’s match will be held, resulting in a split team and Fecafoot placing the under-20 team on standby to face Namibia.

Furthermore, Fecafoot president Samuel Eto’o was reportedly poised to replace head coach Marc Brys with Ndtoungou Mpile ahead of the Namibia match.

The Belgian’s appointment by the country’s minister of sport and physical education, Narcisse Kombi, in April is said to be the cause of the conflict.

Fecafoot is reportedly opposed to the 61-year-old tactician’s acquisition given they were “not involved in the procedure leading to the appointment”.

With short-term cohesion attained, Brys expressed confidence in the team’s preparation and hopes of receiving strong support from the local fans, the Cameroon Concord reported yesterday.

Brys emphasised the importance of the upcoming match, stating that the team will do everything in their power to secure a victory.

The coach noted the strong mentality of his players and technical staff, stating they are not afraid of any obstacle that may come their way.

Word from within the Namibia Football Association is that Benjamin has been making sure Brave Warriors are not distracted by events leading up to the crucial clash, which presents Namibia with the opportunity to upstage the hosts for the second Afcon qualifiers running.

The Brave Warriors took four points off Cameroon in qualifying for the 2023 Afcon, courtesy of a 1-1 away draw and 2-1 win at home.

This will be the fifth meeting between Cameroon and Namibia across all competitions.

The Indomitable Lions have won two matches compared to the Brave Warriors’ one win, while one game ended in a draw.

“To a certain extent, it’s like the previous [Afcon qualifying] group repeated,” Benjamin said, following the 2025 Afcon qualifiers draw.

“With Cameroon, Kenya and Zimbabwe it’s really tough. It’s going to be hostile matches.”