Fécafoot: new statutes tailor-made for Samuel Eto'o?

The Cameroonian Football Federation (Fécafoot) adopted new statutes marked by significant changes at its General Assembly on 16 November 2024 in Mbankomo. This revision of the texts, the fourth since Samuel Eto'o became president of the body in December 2021, is fuelling debate over transparency and compliance with international standards. Some see it as strategic preparation for a second term, even a consolidation of power.

Longer presidential terms

Among the most contested changes, the number of presidential terms has been extended from two to three, each lasting four years, allowing a president to remain in office for up to 12 years. The provision, which lands a year before the end of the first term of the former Indomitable Lions captain, is therefore seen by some as a tool to extend Samuel Eto'o's influence beyond accepted standards.

Eligibility criteria

The new eligibility criteria for candidates in elected posts also raise questions. The amendment to articles 34 and 36 now allows individuals who have been singled out by national and international judicial bodies to stand for office, unless they have been given "a final custodial sentence accompanied by a detention order" or "a non-suspended sentence of more than three months".

Read more on this subject: Fecafoot: Samuel Eto'o invited to seek a second term

This provision appears tailor-made for Samuel Eto'o, who received a 22-month suspended prison sentence in Spain for tax fraud in June 2022, and was recently fined 200,000 euros for breaching CAF's ethics statutes. These changes run counter to the principles laid down by FIFA and CAF, which impose strict integrity criteria. An official found guilty of serious breaches of ethics rules cannot sit on the governing bodies of a member association.

The Yannick Noah rumour causes alarm

The lowering of the age limit for the presidency, now set at under 65 instead of 70, is also fuelling speculation. Some observers believe the clause is aimed at excluding potential candidates, notably Yannick Noah, the former tennis champion and influential figure, who will turn 65 in 2025 and who, according to rumour, is said to harbour ambitions of running for the Fécafoot presidency.

Furthermore, the increase from 20 to 22 members on the Executive Committee, with the president able to co-opt two figures, strengthens Samuel Eto'o's discretionary power. The recent appointments of Pascal Abunde and Pierre Batamack are an illustration.

The sports minister will have the final say

These reforms, seen by some as an attempt to lock down the governing apparatus in Samuel Eto'o's favour, are provoking strong reactions in Cameroon. Guibai Gatama, an Executive Committee member, denounces texts that "gag the clubs", "destroy ethical rules" and establish a "discriminatory distribution". However, according to Abdouraman Hamadou Babba, who was behind the annulment of several Fécafoot elections before the Eto'o era, the amendments to the Fécafoot statutes adopted on 16 November 2024 cannot come into force without the prior approval of the Ministry of Sports and Physical Education, in line with article 7 of law no. 2018/014 of 11 July 2018.

This law requires the ministry to carry out a compliance check on federations' statutes and regulations, both when they are adopted and when they are amended. Without that opinion, only the statutes adopted on 10 October 2023 remain legally valid and applicable to those involved in Cameroonian football.