Samuel Eto'o's future in Fécafoot election hangs in the balance

With the election just three months away, a bitter standoff over Samuel Eto'o's eligibility, pitting the football federation against the government, threatens to paralyze Cameroonian football's governing body.

As the November 29th election for the presidency of the Cameroonian Football Federation (Fécafoot) draws near, the contest is not being played on the field but in the fraught arena of legal statutes and political power plays.

The central figure, incumbent president and legendary footballer Samuel Eto'o, finds his bid for a second term in serious jeopardy, embroiling the institution in a crisis that threatens its very stability.

Spanish conviction

The source of the impasse stems from a 2022 ruling by a Spanish court, which found Eto'o guilty of tax fraud during his time playing for FC Barcelona.

He received a 22-month suspended prison sentence. Under the Fécafoot statutes that were in effect for his first election in December 2021—and which the government insists are still valid—this conviction alone would be enough to disqualify him from running for office.

The statutes explicitly bar any person convicted by a national or international court.

This legal vulnerability has created a deep institutional divide, placing the future of Fécafoot's leadership in doubt and casting a long shadow over the electoral process.

A Legislative Power Play: the unapproved 2023 statutes

In a move widely seen as tailored to protect its president, Fécafoot's executive committee enacted significant reforms to its internal statutes in November 2023.

The new text softened the language around criminal convictions, now only disqualifying candidates who have received a “definitive prison term accompanied by a detention order” or “a suspended sentence exceeding three months.”

Since Eto'o's sentence was suspended and for less than three months, these changes would conveniently clear his path to run again.

However, this maneuver has sparked accusations of self-serving manipulation and ignited a fierce dispute with the government.

Upholding the 2021 framework

The Ministry of Sports, led by Narcisse Mouelle Kombi, has drawn a firm line in the sand. In an official letter dated August 19, the minister reiterated that the 2023 revisions have never been approved by his department, as required by Cameroonian law.

Therefore, they are considered null and void.

“As of now, no Fécafoot document has fulfilled this requirement since the election of the current Executive Board,” Mouelle Kombi stated, emphasizing that the election must proceed using only the validated 2021 statutes—the same statutes that would render Eto'o ineligible.

Eto'o's impossible dilemma and the specter of instability

Samuel Eto'o now faces a catch-22 with no easy exit:

Option 1: Enforce the 2021 statutes and be automatically disqualified.

Option 2: Proceed with the election under the unapproved 2023 statutes, risking the entire process being annulled by the government or challenged in court by his rivals.

Either scenario promises prolonged legal battles and institutional chaos.

Opponents are already poised to pounce on any procedural misstep, meaning that regardless of the election's outcome, the legitimacy of the winner will be contested.

The looming influence of Samuel Eto'o, both as a national icon and a polarizing political operator, dominates every discussion, overshadowing policy debates and plans for the development of Cameroonian football.

With the clock ticking, Cameroonian football is once again trapped in a struggle for institutional power that jeopardizes its governance and stability at a time when the focus should be on the game itself.