The Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) has ordered CAF to immediately include and clear Samuel Eto’o to contest in the upcoming CAF elections slated for the 12th of March, following its decision to exclude the 48-year-old from its list of cleared candidates back in January.
Eto’o who is the President of the Cameroon football association Fecafoot, was in July 2024, fined $200,000 for a brand deal with an online gambling firm ruled to be an ethics violation by the Confederation of African Football.
His lawyers however announced victory in February after arguing at the appeals that only CAF’s independent ethics committee has jurisdiction over such cases.
Eto’o also took the case to the court of arbitration for sports, in order for him to be eligible to contest for seat at the CAF elections this month. CAS judgement has now ordered CAF to include the ex- Cameroon striker on the ballot.
In a CAS letter share by fecafoot online, CAF was ordered to do the needful.
“Admits the appeal filed by Samuel Eto And the Cameroon Football Federation on February 5, 2025 against the decisions made on January 24 and 25 by the review sub-committee of the governance committee of the Confederation of African Football and respectively the executive committee of the Confederation of African Football
“Annuls the decision rendered by the CAF Executive Committee on 25 January 2025 in that it does not mention Samuel Eto on the list of candidates for the election by the Extraordinary General Assembly of 12 March 2025 of the members of the Executive Committee of the Confederation of African Football.”
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The judgement also ordered CAF to pay a sum of 8,000 CHF for cost.
Beyond the judgement however, Samuel Eto’o himself seems to have mend fences with CAF President Patrice Motsepe, following his visit to South Africa where he personally met Motsepe.
The controversial Cameroon FA boss now seem to be on his way to the CAF Executive Committee, should he win at the forthcoming elections.
The decision of CAS also shred FIFA’s disciplinary rulings which prevents Eto’o from being with the National team after finding him guilty of poor behaviour at the FIFA Under 20 women world cup I September 2024.
(Editor : Paul Akhagbemhe)
