The $200,000 fine imposed on Cameroon Football Federation (Fecafoot) president Samuel Eto’o for an ethics violation has been overturned on appeal.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) had launched an investigation into the actions of the legendary Samuel Eto’o. In July last year, a disciplinary panel under Africa’s football governing body ruled that his contract with betting company 1XBET had seriously violated ethics and sportsmanship principles.
However, Eto’o’s lawyers argued that only CAF’s independent ethics committee had jurisdiction over such cases and appealed the decision.
1XBET sponsors the top two divisions of men’s professional football in Cameroon as well as both the men’s and women’s national teams. Due to this agreement, Eto’o faced match-fixing allegations, but CAF’s disciplinary panel ruled that there was insufficient evidence. Eto’o firmly denied the claims.
In the coming months, Eto’o could potentially secure a position on CAF’s executive committee. The Cameroonian football icon has been leading Fecafoot since 2021, but his tenure has been marred by multiple controversies.
Last September, he was handed a six-month ban from attending Cameroon matches. Meanwhile, his former national teammate Marc Brys criticized his leadership, comparing it to a dictatorship.