Camer360

A coalition of Cameroonian football stakeholders has filed coordinated petitions to the Ministry of Sports, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and FIFA, asking the bodies to address what they describe as governance and ethics breaches under the current FECAFOOT leadership headed by Samuel Eto’o. The group is represented by international lawyer Emmanuel Nsahlai, who, in a 25 August 2025 communiqué, urged authorities to “protect the future of Cameroonian football.”

According to the coalition’s filing, the requests include: (1) the opening of proceedings by FIFA’s Ethics Committee that could consider a provisional suspension of Eto’o on grounds including alleged conflicts of interest, financial irregularities and electoral manipulation; and (2) Eto’o’s provisional suspension from CAF’s Executive Committee, citing the non-disclosure of his 2022 tax-fraud conviction in Spain. The coalition has also asked Cameroon’s Ministry of Sports to review FECAFOOT’s statutes and their application.

The allegations listed by the complainants—none of which Camer360 has independently verified—include: a 2022 suspended prison sentence in Spain for tax fraud; claims of corruption and suspected match-fixing; conflict of interest linked to an ambassadorial deal with betting company 1xBet; alleged diversion of funds from friendly matches (Cameroon vs Mexico, Russia and South Korea); the 10-year suspension of Executive Committee member Guibai Gatama; and alleged rule changes that make independent candidacies for FECAFOOT leadership nearly impossible. The coalition says these issues have damaged the credibility of domestic competitions and tarnished the image of Cameroonian football.

Supporters of the petitions argue that swift intervention by CAF and FIFA is needed to restore trust, strengthen compliance and protect players and clubs ahead of key competitions. FECAFOOT and Samuel Eto’o have previously rejected accusations of wrongdoing and defended reforms as necessary to professionalize the game. As of publication, Camer360 had not received new official comment from FECAFOOT or Eto’o’s representatives on the latest petitions. We will update this story if they respond.

The coalition’s move adds fresh pressure on the federation at a delicate moment for the sport, with stakeholders calling for transparent audits, clear conflict-of-interest rules and predictable electoral processes to ensure that governance aligns with CAF and FIFA standards.