By an award rendered on April 14, 2023, the Tribunal arbitral du sport (CAS) condemned the Cameroon Football Federation (Fécafoot) to pay the sum of 229 million 900 thousand CFA francs to Jean Manga Onguene. This sum represents the salary arrears» accumulated since September 2014 than the contract of the former National Technical Director (DTN) Football Association of Cameroon has expired. Not renewed, the former Indomitable Lion nevertheless continued to be considered as DTN by the Federation, which entrusted him with missions. The CAS rejected the other aspects of the non-renewal contract, but maintained the salary until the date of the man’s resignation.
It is the result of a long legal procedure which began with the labor inspectorate and continued to the offices of the CAS. And yet, when he arrived at the head of Fécafoot, Samuel Eto’o tried to prevent this outcome, but the machine had already advanced enough to be interrupted.
– Advertisement –
Two years ago, the former national football technical director seized the CAS for wrongful breach of contract. The former Indomitable Lion had left his FIFA office where he headed twelve countries, to become his country’s football DTN on September 6, 2010, for a period of four years. This within the framework of the implementation of the resolutions of the Forum on football organized by the ministry in charge of sport. The contract that bound Jean manga Onguene and the Cameroonian football authorities provided that the man’s salary and his ” travel expenses within the framework of the execution of its missions » be paid by the ministry, as well as a certain number of amenities such as the assignment of a 4×4 type vehicle and a driver, two round-trip plane tickets to France per year for the Dtn and his wife,…
468 million 900 thousand francs claimed
The award states that the contract is ” renewable by express renewal at the initiative of one of the parties six months before the expiry “. And Manga Onguene had seized FECAFOOT for renewal on April 22, 2014. The Ministry of Sports will inform the man on October 31, 2014 that his contract had expired. Except that Fécafoot, which continued to entrust missions devolved to the DTN to Manga Onguene, will propose to the guardianship to consider that the DTN contract has been renewed by tacit agreement. On January 10, 2019, tired of waiting for a positive response from the minister, Jean Manga Onguene announced his resignation and demanded the payment of his “salary arrears” since 2014. The calculations made show a slate of 468 million 900 thousand francs.
But in the end, the CAS which rejected the complaint of the former DTN against the ministry, rather accepted that brought against FECAFOOT which is condemned to pay the arrears of wages due to its employee during the period of not taken in balance by the state. Or 229 million 425 thousand francs, and will also have to bear part of the procedural costs paid by the plaintiff, namely three thousand Swiss francs.
