YAOUNDE (Reuters) - Cameroon's appointment of Belgian Marc Brys as head coach was suspended by the country's top sports tribunal on Tuesday following the petition of an amateur football club.
The country's sports ministry stirred controversy last month when it named 61-year-old Brys as manager of the Indomitable Lions without consulting the football federation (FECAFOOT).
The move sparked a dispute between the sports ministry and FECAFOOT, which said the government had made a unilateral decision.
In response, it asked its president Samuel Eto'o to propose a national coach and other management staff for the national side within 72 hours, deepening its standoff with the sports ministry.
Eto'o kept Brys as head coach but named different assistants, technical, medical and administrative staff.
An amateur club, meanwhile, took the matter to the Arbitration and Conciliation Chamber of the Cameroon National Olympic and Sports Committee.
In a provisional ruling on Tuesday, the court suspended the FECAFOOT appointments while it fully examined the matter. Concerned parties have 24 hours to appeal.
FECAFOOT in response said it "reserves the right to refer these decisions to FIFA, as they hinder the preparation process for the forthcoming sport events.
"The Emergency Committee of FECAFOOT will meet immediately to take appropriate measures," it said in a statement.
Soccer's world governing body FIFA has strict rules against government interference in national federations and has frequently banned countries when governments get involved in federation affairs.
The president of the Cameroon Association of Amateur Football Clubs, Balla Ongolo Henri, had previously said Eto'o's appointments would damage Cameroon's image and disrupt preparations for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers next June.
Brys, 61, penned a contract on May 8 as head coach of the Indomitable Lions following the dismissal of Rigobert Song in February. FECAFOOT did not attend the signing ceremony.
The sports ministry says it has acted in accordance with national and international regulations.
(Reporting by Amindeh Blaise Atabong; Editing by Sofia Christensen and Ken Ferris)
