In Cameroon, no one is indifferent to Samuel Eto'o. The man who was one of the world's best strikers in the 2000s, and who was elected president of the Cameroonian Football Federation (Fécafoot) for a four-year term on December 12, 2021, has been under fire for several weeks now.
On February 5, a few days after the Indomitable Lions were eliminated in the round of 16 of the Africa Cup of Nations in Côte d'Ivoire (0-2), the 43-year-old had initially submitted his resignation to the Fécafoot executive committee. However, "he can only do so before the general assembly that elected him," Guibaï Gatama, a member of the executive committee suspended by his federation, told Agence France-Presse. "This resignation, even if it had been accepted by the committee, would not have been legal. It's a trick," the journalist said.
But rather than this fake resignation, it is the investigation opened in August by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) into "alleged inappropriate behavior" and suspicions of match-fixing that is worrying Eto'o and his supporters. The president of Fécafoot has stated that he has never been questioned by CAF about the allegations against him, and has announced his intention to lodge a complaint against the continental body.
"It was too easy to tarnish everything I've built up over the years in the world of football," said the former striker on France 24, on February 28. In his opinion, CAF had an "unacceptable behavior" by releasing a statement "far too early." Véron Mosengo-Omba, the general secretary of CAF, did not respond to Le Monde's requests for comment. However, Le Monde has learned that CAF's investigations into the allegations against Eto'o are well underway and, if the accusations are proven, could lead to his suspension by FIFA.
Decisions causing controversy
Since taking over from Seidou Mbombo Njoya at the head of Fécafoot, the former striker for Barcelona and Inter Milan has been quick to make enemies. His first 26 months as president have been littered with affairs and controversy. "It's not the first time that the presidency of Fécafoot has been subject to heated debate, but since it's held by a personality who is highly publicized, adored or hated, there's a lot of talk about it," said Claude Bekombo Jabea, a researcher at the University of Yaoundé.
Eto'o's election had raised a certain optimism in Cameroon, after years of chaotic management of a federation that had been placed under FIFA supervision on several occasions. "He ran a good campaign, with an ambitious project that raised a lot of expectations. But after two and a half years in office, the results are disappointing," said André Kana-Biyik, African champion in 1988.
Like many Cameroonians, Kana-Biyik, a former international, criticized his junior for exercising power in too solitary a fashion. "He has an over-inflated ego, does whatever he wants, doesn't listen to anyone and isn't well advised. As a result, there's more talk of the numerous affairs shaking up the federation than of the progress made for Cameroonian football, of which there have been very few," said Kana-Biyik.
Eto'o has indeed taken some controversial decisions. In 2022, for example, he abruptly terminated Fécafoot's contract with French equipment manufacturer Le Coq Sportif – which took the matter to court – to sign up with American company One All Sports. The decision led to a falling-out with French-Cameroonian tennis legend Yannick Noah, an administrator of Le Coq Sportif. He had also personally signed a contract with 1xBet, a sports betting company –five weeks before the federation he heads did the same.
'Both president and coach'
But despite the succession of scandals, recurring tensions with sports minister Narcisse Mouelle Kombi and international players André Onana and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, and the publication in December 2023 of an incriminating book – L'Arnaque, written by his former campaign manager Jean-Bruno Tagne – Eto'o still enjoys a great deal of support. The ever-popular Roger Milla is still one of his backers, defending "what has been done for local football, with professional championships held on a regular basis, more spectators in the stadiums and improved status for players, particularly in terms of salary payments."
While the 1990 World Cup star admits that he has had disagreements with Eto'o "on the tone he sometimes used with the international players" and would have liked him "to involve more former Lions in his mission," he recalled that the Fécafoot president "resolved the bonus problems that were causing issues for the national team."
These are insufficient arguments for Kana-Biyik, who regrets that Eto'o does not allow for "a serene presidency" and "wants to be president and coach at the same time." The Fécafoot, which on February 28 made official the non-renewal of coach Rigobert Song's contract, will nevertheless leave it to President Paul Biya and the sports minister to appoint his successor.
This political takeover comes as no surprise to Claude Bekombo Jabea, author of the book on the relationship between the state and the national team. "It has been like this for a very long time," he explained. "The federation suggests names, and it's the state that decides. Cameroon is undoubtedly one of the few countries in the world where the selection process is governed by presidential decree."