Samuel Eto’o at FECAFOOT: Three years already, one year to go and potential nine-year extension
By Biwah Bryan
Samuel Eto’o’s tenure as FECAFOOT President over the past three years, has been tumultuous, with his project for change at the federation, facing much scrutiny due to unmet expectations and conflict with football stakeholders in the country.
While the president has implemented various reforms and achieved some success, concerns have been raised over various outcomes including the performance of national teams and the local championship .
On one hand, Eto’o has introduced several positive changes, including increased financial support for clubs in Cameroon even though getting the financial support for clubs has been like getting blood from a stone with several clubs still unable to get a quarter.
Additionally, Eto’o has introduced several innovations, including the creation of a trophy for the champion of Cameroon, he introduced a minimum salary for players in Cameroon which clubs have been unable to pay.
During his early days, Eto’o signed a partnership with Crtv sports to ensure Elite one and two games will be broadcast, but the deal has been almost impossible as Crtv sports has been unable to be consistent.
He equally brought in One All Sports as kit manufacturer of the lions who were expected to pay huge sums of money to Fecafoot and provide a bus to the national team, but it didn’t happen.
Eto’o’s most notable achievement in international competitions has been with the U20 men’s and women’s team. The U20 lions team won a gold medal at the Francophonie Games in 2023, while the U20 lionesses qualified for the world cup and had the best debut by any African team in history.
However, these bright efforts from Eto’o to increase financial support have been overshadowed by the poor showing of Cameroon’s national teams in international competitions, increasing match fixing scandals.
Wide off the mark, the Eto’o administration has witnessed poor performance in competitions. The Indomitable Lions have failed to impress in recent tournaments, including the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, where they finished third, and the 2022 World Cup, where they were eliminated in the group stage, not forgetting the 2023 AFCON where Cameroon was ousted at the round of 16
The women’s national team has also struggled, failing to advance beyond the quarterfinals in the 2022 Africa Women’s Cup of Nations and did not qualify for the 2024 AWCON nor the Olympic Games in Paris.
The same scenario in junoir selections Cameroon fell out early with the U17 lions who were eliminated in the first round of the AFCON, the intermediate lions were also eliminated in the group stage of the last edition of the CHAN.
Particularly, his administration has faced several issues stretching from increasing court cases to the most recent which was the tussle between the fédération and the ministry of sports over the administration of the Indomptable lions squad.
Samuel Eto’o still has one more year to clock his first mandate and a possibility to be president of Fecafoot for 9 more years. The 2024 General Assembly’s decision to increase the presidential term limits from two to three four-year terms has paved the way for Eto’o to seek re-election for two additional terms, potentially keeping him at the helm of Cameroonian football until 2033.
