Samuel Eto’o Banned for Six Months by FIFA

Samuel Eto’o, president of the Cameroonian Football Federation (Fecafoot) has received a six-month ban from attending any international matches involving Cameroon from a FIFA disciplinary panel. The former Barcelona and Chelsea striker violated two articles of FIFA’s disciplinary code related to offensive behavior and fair play during Cameroon’s Under-20 Women’s World Cup match against Brazil on 11 September which Brazil won 3-1 after extra time in Bogota, Colombia.

FIFA announced that Eto’o must immediately comply with the ban, which prevents him from attending any matches involving Cameroon’s men’s or women’s teams across all age groups. This sanction comes as Cameroon prepares for its upcoming Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Kenya in October with the team already in training. Fecafoot has not yet commented on the decision.

This latest ban adds to Eto’o’s recent controversies during his tenure as Fecafoot president. In July, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) fined him $200,000 for ethics breaches after he signed a contract as an ambassador for the betting company 1XBET. Although his lawyers plan to appeal the decision, CAF’s investigation found insufficient evidence for a related match-fixing allegation.

Since his election as Fecafoot president in 2021, Samuel Eto’o has faced significant criticism. A group of amateur clubs in Cameroon called for his resignation, citing “grave irregularities” within the organization and a former teammate described him as a “dictator” for his leadership style. Earlier this year, Eto’o engaged in a dispute with Cameroon’s Ministry of Sport regarding the appointment of Belgian coach Marc Brys for the national team.

In the end, he agreed to the decision despite his earlier objections. Even with a remarkable playing career, Eto’o’s tenure in football administration has been overshadowed by persistent controversies and challenges.