Cameroon Football Federation Rejects Samuel Eto’o’s Resignation

Samuel Eto’o’s resignation as president of the Cameroon Football Federation has been rejected following the team’s sad AFCON last-16 defeat.

With 118 caps for his nation, Eto’o scored 56 goals, making him one of the best Cameroonian football players of all time.

In December 2021, he assumed the role of Fecafoot President. However, there have been a number of scandals throughout his administration.

According to reports, Eto’o and Andre Onana are still at odds, and as a result, the Man United goalkeeper’s relationship with his country has become toxic.

This includes the 27-year-old retiring from international football in 2022 and being sent home from Cameroon’s World Cup squad, but he changed his mind last year.

In addition, he got into a physical altercation with a supporter in Qatar. According to a recent report in The Athletic, Eto’o and his close associates have been charged with match-fixing, power abuse, making physical threats, inciting violence, and disseminating false information in Cameroon. The CAF is reportedly investigating these allegations. Prior to now, Eto’o and his attorneys had refuted the allegations, calling them “calumnious rumours.”

Read Also: Investigations To Begin On Samuel Eto’s Match Fixing Charges

In June 2022, Eto’o entered a guilty plea to a $3.8 million (£2.96 million) tax fraud pertaining to his image rights while at Barcelona. As a result, he was fined $1.8 million (£1.4 million) and given a suspended 22-month prison sentence.

Eto’o submitted his resignation after a poor AFCON competition in which Rigobert Song’s team advanced from the group stages after a thrilling victory over Gambia and a 2-0 loss to Nigeria in the final 16.

But Fecafoot declared in a statement on Monday that they had turned down Eto’o’s resignation.

“The Executive Committee of the Cameroon Football Federation held a session this Monday, February 5 at the Yaounde Hilton Hotel,’ they said.

“The agenda focused on evaluating the performance of the senior men’s national team at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast.

“At the beginning of the meeting, the President of the Cameroon Football Federation, Mr Eto’o Fils Samuel, tendered his resignation to the members of the federal executive organ, inviting them to do likewise in good faith.

“At the end of discussions and subsequent deliberations, the members of the Executive Committee decided to maintain their current mandates and thus unanimously rejected the President’s resignation.

“Thereby renewing their confidence in him to continue with the same spirit of reconstruction and development of Cameroon football at all levels as envisaged in his plan adopted by the elective General Assembly of December 11, 2021.”

Cameroon is currently ranked 46th in the world, and the seventh-highest African team.

After a highly successful career with Barcelona, Inter Milan, and Chelsea, the former striker, who won the Champions League three times and the AFCON twice, assumed the presidency of Fecafoot in December 2021.

A Gentle Reminder: Every obstacle is a stepping stone, every morning; a chance to go again, and those little steps take you closer to your dream.

Nnamdi Okoli