Samuel Eto’o, the leader of Cameroon football, has been handed a six-month ban from attending national team games by FIFA. The former Everton and Barcelona star broke FIFA’s disciplinary rules, as confirmed by the football governing body.
His actions were a result of his behavior following Cameroon’s Women’s Under-20 World Cup loss to Brazil in the round of 16, where Brazil won 3-1 in extra time. While the specifics of his misconduct were not disclosed by FIFA’s disciplinary committee, they did announce that Eto’o was found guilty of “offensive behavior and violations of fair play principles,” as well as “misconduct” towards match officials.
Eto’o and his teammates were upset over a penalty that led to Brazil’s equalizer during the match. Despite being banned from attending games, this suspension does not affect his role as president of the Cameroon Football Federation (Fecafoot), a position he has held since 2021.
FIFA stated that the suspension would immediately take effect and that Eto’o has the option to appeal the decision. Cameroon’s men are preparing to face Kenya in two matches for the qualifiers of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in October.
Earlier on Monday, Eto’o chaired a meeting in Douala to discuss the upcoming matches against the Harambee Stars, according to reports from the Mirror.
The former Chelsea player has faced controversy in the past. In July, he was fined $200,000 for an unauthorized sponsorship deal with an online gambling company, violating the Confederation of African Football’s code of conduct. He has also clashed with his country’s sports administration by criticizing the hiring of Belgian Marc Brys as the coach of the men’s national team earlier this year.
Eto’o, a four-time African Player of the Year and Cameroon’s second most-capped player after Rigobert Song, has played a key role in Cameroon’s World Cup successes over the years. Since 1990, Cameroon has only won two matches in the tournament, including a surprising victory over Brazil in Qatar recently and a narrow 1-0 win against Saudi Arabia in 2002, where Eto’o scored the winning goal.
Having started his career at Real Madrid, Eto’o gained fame at Barcelona and Inter, winning the Champions League with both clubs. He scored in the 2006 and 2009 finals, helping Barcelona achieve European success.
His former coach, Jose Mourinho, has even suggested that Eto’o was deserving of the Ballon d’Or award.
