Former Cameroon star Samuel Eto’o has been banned for four matches and fined $20,000 after being found guilty of misconduct by African football’s governing body.
A statement from the Confederation of African Football (CAF) said Eto’o broke rules around sportsmanship during the Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final between Cameroon and Morocco. Eto’o is now the president of Cameroon’s football federation.
The former Barcelona and Inter Milan striker was reportedly seen reacting angrily to some referee decisions during the match, which Cameroon lost 2-0 to host nation Morocco. CAF president Patrice Motsepe was also at the stadium and appeared to witness Eto’o’s reaction.
Earlier this week, CAF announced it was investigating violent behaviour and unacceptable conduct by players and officials during the quarter-final matches.
Cameroon’s football federation, Fecafoot, has rejected CAF’s decision, saying the process did not meet the standards of a fair hearing. In a statement, Fecafoot said it supports Eto’o and suggested he plans to appeal against the ban.
Since becoming federation president in 2021, Eto’o’s reputation has been affected by several controversies. He has faced accusations of poor leadership and improper behaviour, which he has denied, pointing instead to what he says are positive changes he has made at the federation.
