Former Star Samuel Eto’o’s appeal upheld, cleared to contest CAF elections

Samuel Eto’o, a four-time African Footballer of the Year, has successfully secured a spot on the candidate list for the Confederation of African Football’s upcoming elective congress.

Initially excluded, Eto’o’s appeal was upheld by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, enabling him to participate in the CAF executive committee elections in Cairo next Wednesday.

The 43-year-old, who serves as president of the Cameroon Football Federation, was excluded by CAF’s governance committee in January. However, Eto’o appealed the decision to CAS, which ruled in his favour. While CAF did not provide any specific reasons for Eto’o’s exclusion in January, the former Cameroon striker had faced disciplinary actions in the past year.

In 2023, Eto’o was suspended by both FIFA and CAF. FIFA imposed a six-month ban on him from attending national team matches for breaching disciplinary regulations, after he allegedly verbally abused match officials during the Under-20 Women’s World Cup in Colombia.

CAF banned Eto’o earlier in the year following an inquiry into potential violations of its ethical standards, stemming from his role as an ambassador for a betting company.