Cameroon FA chief Samuel Eto’o faces six-month ban by Fifa for misconduct
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Cameroon Football Federation chief Samuel Eto’o will now be barred from all men’s and women’s games across various age groups.
PHOTO: SAMUEL ETO'O/FACEBOOK
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CAMEROON – Cameroon Football Federation (Fecafoot) chief Samuel Eto’o has been banned from attending the national team’s matches for six months after violating Fifa’s disciplinary regulations, football’s governing body said on Sept 30.
The former Barcelona, Inter Milan and Chelsea striker has been president of Fecafoot since 2021 and will now be barred from all men and women’s games across various age groups.
“The sanction was imposed in connection with the Fifa Under-20 Women’s World Cup round-of-16 match between Brazil and Cameroon played in Bogota, Colombia, on Sept 11, 2024,” Fifa said in a statement.
Details regarding the incidents were not disclosed by Fifa’s disciplinary committee. The statement said Eto’o was deemed guilty of “offensive behaviour and violations of the principles of fair play”, as well as “misconduct” involving officials.
The ban follows a US$200,000 (S$257,440) fine imposed on the 43-year-old by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) in July over a brand deal with an online gambling company 1XBET, stemming from an inquiry into purported breaches of its ethical and integrity standards.
Eto’o’s lawyers claimed they would appeal against the verdict, which came after a CAF probe found insufficient evidence to go ahead with a charge related to allegations of match-fixing.
Despite Cameroon having been to more World Cups than any other African country, their football governance has been in disarray for a while now.
Earlier in 2024, their qualifying campaign for the 2026 World Cup threatened to be derailed by a spat between Fecafoot and the nation’s sports ministry.
The government, which pays the coach’s salary, named Belgian Marc Brys as coach in April to the disappointment of Eto’o who was not consulted on the matter.
He at first rejected Brys, then bowed to political pressure to accept the appointment but wanted his own choices added to the technical team.
It took several weeks of posturing and power plays, including denying the team equipment to train with, before a compromise was reached.
In 2023, a group representing amateur clubs in Cameroon demanded Eto’o step down, citing “grave irregularities” at Fecafoot.
A year earlier, he was recorded assaulting a man outside a stadium during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, after a heated exchange and a confrontation.
In June, the BBC reported that a former teammate of the African football legend described him as a “dictator”, owing to his running of the country’s football association.
“Samuel was the biggest player in Africa but there’s a lot of trouble around him,” the retired player, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of a backlash, told BBC Sport Africa.
“He does not listen to advice. When you manage people, you do not need to (act) like a dictator. I didn’t know he would be like that, and it will be hard for him to continue.”
With 56 goals in 118 appearances, Eto’o is the second most-capped player in Cameroon’s history, behind Rigobert Song. He was voted African Player of the Year four times, finishing runner-up twice – the best record in the award’s history.
The striker led his country to two Africa Cup of Nations crowns and Olympic gold in 2000.
He also enjoyed a stellar career at club level, winning the Champions League with Barcelona (twice) and Inter Milan. REUTERS
