In his October 10 address opening the Extraordinary General Meeting of the Cameroonian Football Federation (Fecafoot), Samuel Eto'o took a long, hard line against his opponents. In his address, he accuses his opponents of wanting to take Cameroon football hostage and drag it down into the abyss.  

He said that to achieve their goal, they believe that taking him down from the position of Fecafoot president must be their first objective. "They're trying to stop what we're doing. So they've taken the matter to the arbitration court to obtain the judicial elimination of the person who is preventing them from continuing the disastrous work that has reduced our football to its simplest form. Too bad for them, it didn't work," he said.

The address was referring to a group of local football stakeholders who referred to the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) to obtain his dismissal as president of the national football federation.  In their complaint, which dates back to November 2022, they pointed out that Samuel Eto'o Fils was sentenced to 20 months in prison by a Spanish judge, while article 46 of the federation's statutes stipulate that "the position of president will be considered vacant in the event of death, resignation, or if he is permanently prevented from carrying out his official duties, or in the event of ineligibility during his term of office."

Overall positive assessment 

The CAS refused to rule on the matter saying that it is up to the general assembly to take such a decision. Meanwhile, the said general assembly, sympathetic to Samuel Eto’o’s cause, has no plans on doing so. The subject is not even on the agenda of the extraordinary general meeting being held in Mbankomo this week. 

It is worth noting that the Fecafoot president’s detractors have also sent another complaint to the Confederation of African Football (CAF) regarding suspected match-fixing. The CAF has yet to rule on that matter. 

In the meantime, Samuel Eto'o is praising his achievements. He points out that since his election as Fecafoot president, stadiums are once again full, footballers are well-paid and sponsors are now getting interested in football.  "Our record is overall positive…,” he self-congratulates. 

Michel Ange Nga