FIFA Bans Fecafoot President Samuel Eto'o For Six Months

Samuel Eto'o, the president of Cameroon's Football Federation (Fecafoot) and ex-football star for Barcelona and Chelsea, has been prohibited by FIFA from attending any international matches involving Cameroon for six months due to breaches of the global governing body's disciplinary code. The ruling, linked to an incident during the Under-20 Women’s World Cup round-of-16 game between Cameroon and Brazil on 11 September, cites offensive behavior, violations of fair play principles, and official misconduct by Eto'o, who attended the game in Bogota, Colombia. This is prepared by SSP.

The ban applies to all men’s and women’s teams across every category and age group in Cameroon. This decision follows earlier disciplinary actions from the Confederation Africaine de Football (CAF). In addition to this, a former Fecafoot executive had previously presented extensive files alleging Eto'o’s involvement in match-fixing, abuse of power, physical threats, and spreading false information, although CAF found insufficient evidence for match manipulation but confirmed breaches related to ethics.

In previous incidents, Eto'o was fined for violating CAF statutes by becoming an ambassador for the gambling company 1XBet and sentenced to a 22-month suspended prison term for tax fraud in Spain. Despite these troubles, Eto'o, who retired in 2019 after stints with Chelsea, Everton, Antalyaspor, Konyaspor, and Qatar, remains one of Africa's most celebrated footballers.

This recent FIFA ban has significant ramifications, particularly with Cameroon’s men’s team set to face Kenya in a crucial double-header prior to the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. The ban's immediate enforcement has left Eto'o unable to attend any football matches involving Cameroon's teams, further complicating his role in upcoming preparations and strategies.