The presence of Samuel Eto'o among the candidates for the executive committee of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) seems not to satisfy the top brass of the pan-African body. Faced with a potential refusal, the Cameroonian legend seems determined to counterattack. Explanations.
Declared candidateSamuel Eto'o, president of the Cameroonian Football Federation (Fecafoot), could be excluded from the race to represent the UNIFFAC zone (Central Africa) within the CAF executive committee during the elections scheduled for March 2025. According to our colleagues of Sport News AfricaCAF, under the influence of its secretary general Véron Mosengo-Omba, would seek to manipulate applications to favor Seidou Mbombo Njoya, former president of Fecafoot and current fourth vice-president of CAF and member of the Comex.
Seidou Mbombo Njoya, the candidate of the CAF
To run, candidates must benefit from the sponsorship of their national federation, a rule that the former striker respects but which Njoya would lack. However, CAF would consider rejecting Eto'o's candidacy while maintaining that of his compatriot. A situation described as “blatant manipulation” by internal sources.
This maneuver would aim to prevent Eto'o, an influential figure and potential dissident voice in African football, from accessing a key position in the executive committee. The same fate would await the other candidates in the zone, the Central African Célestin Yanindji, and the Congolese Jean Guy Blaise Mayolas. These supposed exclusions say a lot about the influence of the current governance of the CAF, favoring close allies of President Patrice Motsepe and Mosengo-Omba.
“No one can stop me from being a candidate“
In an interview for RFIthe legend Cameroonian responded offensively, as he is wont to do. Sanctioned by CAF last July for having “seriously violated the principles of ethics, integrity and sportsmanship ” by partnering with the sports betting operator 1xBetEto'o nevertheless considers himself eligible and is ready to go to the end to win his case.
“I think we have the video of my audition last time at CAF. It was a simulacrum, a theater, anything but justice. But we love our continent and understand that things are done politically in a certain way even if we advocate excellence. Whether at CAF or elsewhere, we appealed and no one can prohibit me from being a candidate for the Executive Committee because there are still several bodies that must decide and as long as they have not yet decided, I am not condemned and I must be able to be a candidate . And I believe that I will not be convicted because we have enough evidence to prove our innocence », Says the president of Fécafoot.
Eto'o prepares his counterattack
The former captain of the Indomitable Lions does not hide his opposition to Seydou Mbombo Njoya, current representative of UNIFFAC on the Executive Committee, whose candidacy for his own succession is also controversial:
« Even if he wanted to, the outgoing candidate does not have the right to run again without a mandate from his federation. And unless there is an omission on my part, the secretary general of the Cameroonian Football Federation did not send this document. From the outset, this application cannot be validated by CAF ».
Clearly, Eto'o intends to make noise if Seydou Mbombo Njoya's candidacy were to be validated, unlike his own. And given the media coverage of the character, this affair could cause a lot of noise. If CAF persists in this direction, crucial questions about the transparency and fairness of elections within the organization would arise.
