By Etienne Mainimo Mengnjo
On February 5, Samuel Eto’o, President of the Cameroon Football Federation (FECAFOOT), declared his intention to step down from his post during a meeting with the Football Association Executive.
However, his resignation was later rejected. The executive committee had gathered to evaluate the national team’s performance at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). The meeting is said to have begun as Eto’o offered to step down, encouraging other members to do the same in good faith.
According to a statement released by FECAFOOT, after discussions and deliberations, the executive committee unanimously decided to maintain their current mandates and reject Eto’o’s resignation. They expressed their continued confidence in him to lead the reconstruction and development of Cameroon football, as outlined in his plan adopted by the elective general assembly on December 11, 2021.
while Eto’o’s resignation was the focal point of attention, no other decisions or conclusions from the meeting were disclosed, particularly regarding the team’s disappointing performance at the recently ongoing AFCON.
Nevertheless, a lot of questions are blowing on the wind as to whether Samuel Eto’o was truly serious about stepping down as FECAFOOT President. Some sports enthusiasts have suggested that his resignation process seemed somewhat dramatic.
A sports reporter pointed out that, “If Samuel Eto’o genuinely intended to resign, he wouldn’t have presented his resignation letter during the executive meeting. This is not the conventional way to handle such matters. It appears as though they had to plead with him to maintain his legitimacy after tabling his resignation letter.”
Another unnamed reporter stated, “Resignations are not typically done in the manner Eto’o presented. He shouldn’t have been present at the meeting if he planned to resign. He should have submitted his letter and stayed away.”
Magdalene Ysi commented, “Nothing surprises me in Cameroon because I had already imagined how Eto’o would handle this. How often do we witness people resigning in Cameroon? Yes, he is capable of doing it because we all know that, at the moment, he cannot. I just have the feeling that he staged his resignation. It was like a drama unfolding on another stage.”
Meanwhile, according to Article 17 (1) of the FECAFOOT statutes adopted in 2021, “Any member may resign from FECAFOOT at any time. Resignation must be submitted in writing to the Secretary-General at least 6 (six) months before the end of the financial year.”
Article 17 (2) states, “Resignation shall only become legally valid when the member fulfills its financial obligations towards FECAFOOT and other members.”
Considering these regulations, many sports fans and analysts argue that Eto’o should have followed the Federation’s statutes instead of staging his resignation as a form of theatrics.
Since assuming the leadership of Cameroon’s football federation, Eto’o has been embroiled in a series of controversies. Recently, sports website The Athletic reported having seen WhatsApp messages, emails, letters, and audio recordings allegedly supporting various accusations, including “match-fixing, abuse of power, physical threats, incitement of violence, and spreading false information in Cameroon.”
Furthermore, concerns among many others have been raised about Eto’o’s ambassadorial role with a sports betting company. It has also been alleged that during the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast, Eto’o prevented former Cameroon captain Geremi Njitap from meeting the players after their victory over Gambia in the final Group C match.
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