Samuel Eto’o, the president of the Cameroonian Football Federation (Fécafoot), once again in the eye of the storm. The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has announced the opening of an investigation into allegations of inappropriate behavior by the ex-Barça goleador.
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“CAF has received written requests from several Cameroonian football stakeholders for the review and investigation of certain alleged inappropriate behaviors of Mr. Samuel Eto’o”, the Confederation of African Football said in a statement. Presidents of clubs who have not been able to access the upper division have publicly accused the president of Fecafoot of having maneuvered for the rise in division of certain formations.
There is also the affair of the telephone conversation between the former captain of the Indomitable Lions and the president of Victoria United whose club, which was ranked 8th in the second division championship, was finally able to reach the first division after an alleged intervention of the president of FECAFOOT to the commission of referees. While the Fecafoot spokesperson said this interview was false, the Association of Amateur Football Clubs of Cameroon noted that Samuel Eto’o manipulated the match. She therefore demanded his resignation.
Read alsoFootball: Eto’o and FECAFOOT face accusations of match-fixing
The straw that would have broken the camel’s back would be the Bamboutos Football Club case in Mbouda. Qualified for the Confederations Cup, this team was refused the issuance of CAF licenses by Fécafoot on the grounds that it accused some players of salary arrears. Bamboutos had also protested to CAF.
Samuel Eto’o’s lawyer reacted and denounced a ” harmful and toxic communication from CAF to the attention of the president of Fécafoot. In her press release, Me Bonny Elamé denounces the position of the CAF, which she evokes allegations “ at first sight serious “. Even though Samuel Eto’o has never been notified of any charges against him, the lawyer for the former attacker then reserves the right to initiate legal proceedings in due course. He concludes that the attacks against his client are “ the work of the enemies of Cameroonian football “who hear” take football hostage to serve their personal and selfish interests “.
Heckled presidency
This case is a new episode in a presidency that does not lack twists and turns. When he was elected on December 11, 2021, Samuel Eto’o’s mandate promised to be full of promise, but between disagreements with the Minister of Sports, the unilateral termination of the equipment supplier contract with Le Coq Sportif and tensions with the Secretaries General. of Fecafoot, Eto’o has accumulated conflicts.
However, the arrival of the former FC Barcelona striker presaged a return to serenity for a Fecafoot whose infighting had fueled the news in previous years. The former captain of the Indomitable Lions, with a comfortable victory, had quickly displayed his ambitions. He wanted to attract sponsors or even revive the men’s and women’s championships in difficulty after the supervision of the Federation according to governance crises.
The qualification for the World Cup obtained against Algeria will have been the high point of Eto’o’s mandate at the head of Fecafoot, but this sporting apotheosis did not completely hide the fractures at work in the Federation. Also, his violent altercation with an Algerian Youtuber during the World Cup in Qatar had also highlighted the sometimes questionable behavior of the former Cameroonian striker.