Analysing the Governance of the Cameroon Football Federation

Abstract

ABSTRACT This thesis examines the governance of the Cameroon Football Federation (FECAFOOT) and its influence on football development. Employing stakeholder theory (Freeman, 1984), this qualitative single-case study addresses three objectives: to analyse FECAFOOT's strategies and policies, to examine its institutional relationship with the Ministry of Sports (MINSEP), and to describe stakeholder perceptions of how this relationship influences football development. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with fifteen purposively selected stakeholders and analysed using thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006). The findings reveal a contradiction between formal institutional existence and practical governance effectiveness. First, governance is highly centralised around the federation president, with weak policy implementation, exclusion of key stakeholders, limited financial transparency, and chronic neglect of grassroots football. Second, the relationship with MINSEP is marked by persistent power struggle, with the 2014 Convention as the central point of contention and financial dependence limiting operational autonomy. Third, stakeholders perceive this relationship as directly impeding football development through stalled infrastructure, absent youth pathways, neglected referee development, and unstable club funding. The study concludes that FECAFOOT's fundamental challenge is not the absence of structures but the weak transformation of formal mechanisms into transparent and accountable practice. Recommendations include reducing executive centralisation and developing a long-term football master plan independent of electoral cycles. Keywords: Football governance, FECAFOOT, stakeholder theory, organisational performance, African football. List of Abbreviations and Acronyms AFCON Africa Cup of Nations ASC Australian Sports Commission BIBGIS Basic Indicators for Better Governance in International Sport CAF Confederation of African Football CFAF Central African CFA Franc (currency) CHAN African Nations Championship FA Football Association FECAFOOT Fédération Camerounaise de Football (Cameroon Football Federation) FIFA International Federation of Association Football MINSEP Ministère des Sports et de l'Éducation Physique NQSA Njalla Quan Sports Academy NSF National Sport Federation SDG Sustainable Development Goals SPARC Sport and Recreation New Zealand UN United Nation