The Disciplinary Committee of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) issued a penalty banning Samuel Eto’o, President of the Cameroonian Football Association, for a period of six months.
This suspension comes in response to Eto’o’s breach of FIFA’s Disciplinary Code, specifically Articles 13 and 14, which deal with offensive behavior and misconduct on the part of players and officials.
Why was Samuel Eto’o punished?
The incident that led to this penalty occurred during the round of 16 match For the Women’s World Cup Under-20 between Brazil and Cameroon, on September 11, 2024.
The FIFA Disciplinary Committee’s decision to ban Eto’o for 6 months prevents him from attending any matches involving the federation’s teams Cameroonian Football, including men’s and women’s teams in all age groups.
This punishment represents a major blow to Eto’o, a highly influential figure in African football, having been instrumental in pushing reforms within Cameroonian football since his election as president.
At the same time, this penalty prevents him from running for the presidency of the Confederation of African Football if he thinks about running during the CAF elections in March of next year 2025.
Eto’o was officially notified of the decision on the day the ban came into force, limiting his attendance at major football events for the foreseeable future.
The decision of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee is a first step in the conflict and crisis taking place between Samuel Eto’o on the one hand and FIFA on the other hand.
The President of the Cameroonian Football Federation has the right to appeal the decision of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee before the International Sports Court (CAS) within 21 days of receiving the FIFA decision to appeal and cancel it in the coming period.
