AFCON 2025: CAF imposes a heavy sanction on Samuel Eto'o

The verdict has been reached! Samuel Eto'o will not attend the next four official matches of the national selection of Cameroon, during competitions organized by the African Football Confederation (CAF). The decision was taken this Wednesday, January 14 by the disciplinary panel of the continental football governing body. A suspension accompanied by a fine of 20,000 US dollars. That is slightly more than 11 million CFA francs. This decision, taken following an accelerated disciplinary procedure, deprives the former captain of the Indomptables Lions of any official presence with the national team during his next outings.

The facts
The sanction finds its origin in the incidents that occurred after the quarter-final of the AFCON 2025 between Cameroon and Morocco (0-2). In a previous press release, the CAF had announced the opening of a disciplinary investigation into conduct deemed contrary to sports ethics.

At the heart of the file is the public and physical reaction of the president of Fécafoot after a contentious contact involving the Cameroonian attacker Bryan Mbeumo. A widely relayed and analyzed sequence. The images showed Samuel Eto'o very much in the official tribune against the decisions of the referee. To the point of expressing his discontent by turning to the president of the Moroccan Federation Fouzi Lekjaa, and that of the CAF Patrice Motsepe.

In Yaoundé, the announcement of the investigation had already had the effect of a thunderclap, as the case directly affected the Cameroonian football boss in a tense sporting and institutional context. By targeting a leading leader of African football, the CAF sends a strong signal about its willingness to strictly regulate behaviors on the sidelines of official matches, especially during the decisive phases of its competitions.

La Fécafoot reacts
The reaction of the Fécafoot was not long in coming. In a statement issued by its secretary-general this very evening, the Cameroonian body considers that the decision of the disciplinary panel is "devoid of any motivation". '' Fécafoot also notes that the express procedure leading to this decision raises serious reservations with regard to the fundamental requirements of a fair trial."

La Fécafoot finally indicates to "take note of the decision of its president to exercise, within the prescribed deadlines and forms, the remedies provided for by the applicable texts", thus suggesting a legal battle to come between Yaoundé and the leading body of African football.

The disciplinary panel of the African Football Confederation (CAF) decided on Wednesday, January 14 to impose a heavy penalty on Samuel Eto'o. the president of the Cameroonian Football Federation (Fécafoot) is suspended by the authority for four official matches of the national selection of Cameroon accompanied by a fine of 20,000 US dollars. 

For the record, this is not the first time that Samuel Eto'o has been sanctioned by an international football authority. In September 2024, the FIFA Disciplinary Commission had already imposed a six-month suspension on Samuel Eto'o, prohibiting him from attending all international matches of the Cameroonian national teams, male and female, until 31 March 2025. A repetition of international sanctions that feeds, over time, the debate on governance and the image of Cameroonian football on the continental and global scene.