There appears to be fresh crisis within the Cameroon football circle after 24 referees were suspended.

The suspension according to the Cameroon Football Referees Association in a statement, was effected following their alleged involvement in betting and match fixing.

The statement revealed that the suspended referees include main referees and their assistants in football, futsal and beach soccer.

“The suspended referees are exempted from all refereeing-related activities and throughout the national territory for their direct or indirect involvement in sports betting games and match-fixing, transactions related to competitions and matches,” the release said.

The President of the Cameroon Football Federation (FECAFOOT), Samuel Eto’o is still under investigation after he agreed to be an ambassador to a betting company which is against the FIFA ethical operation.

Since the emergence of Eto’o, a former international and African footballer of the year, Cameroon’s football has been dogged in several controversies.

Source: The Heritage Times

The Confederation of African Football (Caf) is celebrating the life of Cameroon football icon Marc-Vivien Foé, who tragically collapsed and passed away during a Fifa Confederations Cup semi-final match against Colombia in 2006.

Monday marked the 20th anniversary of his tragic death, whose life was cut short after at the peak of his football career at age 28.

Vivien Foé plied most of his trade in the France topflight, where he played for RC Lens and Olympique Lyon, respectively.

The tenacious and skilful midfielder also had brief stint with English Premier League sides West Ham United, spending one season with them, and Manchester City on a season long loan.

Caf have since paid tribute to the former Indomitable Lions football star, including Cameroon striker Roger Milla.

“Monday marked the solemn occasion of the 20th anniversary of the tragic death of Cameroonian football star Marc-Vivien Foé,” Caf said in a statement.

“As CAFOnline.com reflects on this tragic event, we pay tribute to a remarkable African footballer Marc-Vivien Foé, whose life was tragically cut short on June 26, 2003, during a FIFA Confederations Cup match in France.

“We pay homage to Foe’s extraordinary playing career, his unwavering dedication to the Cameroon national team, his immense contributions to his clubs, as his enduring legacy both on and off the pitch continue to inspire the current generation.”

Source: Sunday World

The next few months are likely to be turbulent for Samuel Eto’o, the president of the Cameroon Football Federation, with the CAS proceedings concerning the vacancy in his post, suspicions of a breach of the FIFA Code of Ethics and the legal battle being waged by professional clubs.

The future of the Cameroon Football Federation (Fécafoot) looks uncertain. The next few months promises to be tumultuous, particularly for Samuel Eto’o. Various threats are hanging over his mandate, jeopardising his position at the head of Cameroon’s football governing body.

Proceedings underway before CAS

Legal proceedings are currently underway before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). It follows a challenge to the resolutions of the General Assembly of 27 August 2022. The main issue is the legitimacy of Samuel Eto’o as president of Fécafoot, calling into question the convening of the meeting. According to his opponents, Eto’o “ceased to be president of Fécafoot on 20 June 2022, the date on which he was sentenced in Spain to 22 months in prison for tax fraud”.

The case was brought before CAS by Guibaï Gatama and certain members of the General Assembly. A hearing was held on 7 June 2023. CAS now has 120 days to render its verdict. If Samuel Eto’o is declared unfit to lead Fécafoot, this should result in a power vacuum.

Eto’o targeted by FIFA investigation?

There is a second threat hanging over Samuel Eto’o. It relates to questions of ethics and integrity. Sport News Africa has learned that a number of cases have been brought against the Cameroonian football boss before the ethical jurisdictions of CAF and FIFA.

One of these cases relates to the contract that the president of Fécafoot recently signed with a sports betting company, appointing him as the company’s ambassador. “This investigation is being conducted in confidence and the results could have far-reaching consequences if the facts exposed are proven to be in breach of FIFA’s Code of Ethics,” warns a former Fécafoot employee.

Tussle between Fécafoot and professional clubs

Internally, the Fécafoot presidency is facing a poisonous atmosphere. Unfulfilled promises, poor performances by national teams, dysfunction at federal level and suspicions of wheeling and dealing denounced by club presidents and other players are all causing anger. Most of the clubs in the professional leagues have launched a protest movement.

The problems raised concern refereeing, manoeuvres favouring certain clubs, and the non-payment in full of the subsidies announced. “Of the 48 million CFA francs earmarked for each club in the first division this season, for example, only 33 million have been paid,” says a club president from Elite One. He also points to the “incompetence of the championship organisers”.

Clubs call for an audit

Faced with these problems, some clubs have expressed their desire to leave the championship organised by Fécafoot and are calling for the Professional Football League (LFPC) to be rehabilitated. They are also demanding an audit of the funds granted to Fécafoot by the top sponsors of professional leagues. They are also demanding an audit of the state subsidy. The latter are reportedly ready to boycott the next season if their demands are not met. Given their considerable numbers, Fécafoot and Samuel Eto’o find themselves in a delicate situation.

Source: Sports News Africa

Another day, another story linking Inter Milan goal keeper, Andre Onana, with a move to Manchester United.

If reports in the Italian media are anything to go by then in the coming days, Man Utd will make an official move between £34m-£43m to sign the Serie A star.

As per today’s version of La Gazzetta Dello Sport, Man Utd have ‘decided’ to make a big offer to sign the Cameroonian international in the summer transfer window.

The Italian media source have mentioned that the Red Devils have decided to leave the negotiation table for the renewal of David De Gea.

Now, they are set to strongly bet to hire the services of Onana.

Yesterday, there was a meeting between the representatives of United and the 27-year-old star’s agent. In the discussion, the Old Trafford outfit communicated their decision to make an official offer by the end of the month.

The bid should be between 40 million euros (£34m Man Utd’s will) and 50 million euros (£43m Inter’s request).

GdS claim such an offer could convince the Nerazzurri president to endorse the sale of Onana in the summer transfer window.

After serving the club for twelve years, it seems that David De Gea’s time at Manchester United is finally coming to an end.

Source: The Faithful MUFC

The building of the ill-fated Olembé Stadium is the source of a new investment arbitration claim.

Italian construction company Piccini Group has made a claim against the government of Cameroon in a dispute that appears to relate to the troubled construction of the Olembé football stadium in Yaoundé.

The stadium was built between 2018 and 2021 for the hosting of the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations football tournament, when it was the site of a tragic crowd crush which killed eight people.

Perugia-headquartered Piccini was the construction contractor until 2020, when the government withdrew the project from the Italian company and handed it to Canadian company Magil. Earlier this year, Magil warned of non-payment by the Ministry of Sport and Physical Education and threatened withdrawal and legal action if the matter persisted, while reiterating its hope that it could complete the second stage of the project – involving the construction of facilities surrounding the stadium.

The case was filed on 8 June at the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), the World Bank’s investor-state dispute settlement body, under the auspices of the 1999 Italy-Cameroon bilateral investment treaty, against the Cameroonian President Paul Biya, Prime Minister Joseph Ngute, the minister of state and ministers for external relations, justice, sports and public projects.

The Italian company has enlisted Withers to represent it. The London-headquartered law firm declined to comment, while Piccini has not responded to an enquiry, but media reports from Cameroon suggest the dispute relates to the stadium and the ICSID filing refers to a “construction project”.

The Cameroonian government has also been contacted for comment. In 2021, Piccini was reported to have taken Cameroon to the ICC International Court of Arbitration, although the status of that case is currently unclear.

Source: African Law and Business

Cameroon’s professional Football leagues alone have cost the Cameroon Football Federation (Fecafoot), headed by Samuel Eto’o, more than 3 million euros (2 billion CFA francs).

The 2022-2023 football season cost the Cameroon Football Federation (Fecafoot) more than 4.3 million euros (nearly 2.9 billion CFA francs). The body headed by Samuel Eto’o has invested heavily in the organisation of the country’s two professional leagues. According to figures obtained from Fecafoot, the total budget is in excess of 3 million euros (2 billion CFA francs).

73,000 euros per D1 club

A considerable proportion of these funds was paid to first division clubs. Fecafoot’s financial support has more than doubled. “This year, we have granted support of 48 million CFA francs (more than 73,000 euros, editor’s note) to each of the clubs in the elite championship (the first division). Professional footballers now receive a salary of 200,000 CFA francs (305 euros) per month”, Samuel Eto’o told the last session of the Fecafoot General Assembly on 27 May 2023.

According to the former footballer, this injection of funds has enabled clubs to strengthen their squads, creating a more competitive and exciting competition for fans. Our national competitions are regaining their former fervour,” says Samuel Eto’o. We’re also seeing that the level of our league is getting higher and higher. The performances of our international players in the national league are a clear indication of that.

Youth football, the poor relation

It is not only professional football that has benefited from Fecafoot’s financial support. Women’s football has also received support. It received an allocation of 250,000 euros (more than 163.5 million CFA francs). Amateur football also received 790,000 euros (over 517 million CFA francs). These funds were divided between the regional leagues (549,000 euros, or 359.5 million CFA francs). The departmental leagues also received 241,000 euros (nearly 157.7 million CFA francs).

Youth football development was funded to the tune of 183,000 euros (nearly 120 million CFA francs). This is the smallest financial allocation granted by Fecafoot.

Source: Sports News Africa

Inter Milan goalkeeper Andre Onana insists the pressure is all on Manchester City before Saturday’s Champions League final in Istanbul.

The 27-year-old Cameroonian has been heavily linked to a summer move to the Premier League with Chelsea believed to be at the front of the pack.

Onana has kept eight clean sheets in 12 matches in Europe and believes the heat is on Treble-chasing City.

“We have nothing to lose. They have more pressure than us,” he said.

“We have to prepare well – we don’t have to stress – we have to go easy because we play against a very tough opponent.”

A tough task awaits the side who finished third in Serie A this season, but Inter already have the Coppa Italia to their name after a 2-1 win against Fiorentina in Rome.

There was no clean sheet for Onana that day but among those games in Europe in which he did keep the opposition scoreless were both legs of the Champions League semi-final against their city rivals AC Milan.

A turbulent World Cup for Onana last year saw him sent home from Qatar before he announced his retirement from international football.

But the stopper, who only joined Inter from Ajax last summer, said: “I’m feeling very good. I am so calm and so happy.

“It’s a special game for us. The Champions League final may come along only once in life.”

‘Africa is proud of him’

Onana is the fourth Cameroonian to play for the Nerazzurri after Pierre Wome, Daniel Boumsong and the legendary Samuel Eto’o.

Another Indomitable Lions legend of the past with 113 international caps, Geremi, is backing his fellow countryman to come out on top in the final – much as the 44-year-old defender did himself with Real Madrid in 2000 and 2002.

“For sure I will be supporting Inter Milan,” he told BBC Sport Africa.

“We have one of our younger brothers, one of our compatriots playing.

“I know him very well and I think all of Africa is proud of him. This is a big achievement for Cameroon, that’s why I wish him all the best as he tries to win that special trophy.

“It’s the Champions League final, the highest competition in Europe.

“I have already told him to enjoy, to not have any regrets after the final.”

Geremi won two Premier League titles with Chelsea – the team Onana has most strongly been linked with were he to move this summer.

Regardless of whether or not it’s Onana’s final match for Inter, Geremi wants his compatriot to embrace the moment.

“One of the biggest memories I have is coming out onto the field and hearing that Champions League song because it is such a special and unforgettable moment,” he said.

“He needs to give his all, he knows what to do and I wish him well.”

Onana’s path to this year’s final has not been an easy one along with the international fall-out at the World Cup.

His final season at Ajax was a mixed one following a 12-month doping ban, which was reduced to nine months on appeal.

Following his switch to Italy, Serbia’s Samir Handanovic started the season for Inter as the number one choice between the sticks before eventually being displaced by Onani.

Last year had started on a high for Onani though, as he helped hosts Cameroon to a third-placed finish at the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon).

The bronze medal was achieved with a penalty shoot-out win against Burkina Faso following their semi-final exit at the hands of defeated finalists Egypt.

Mahrez ready to claim glory for North Africa

In opposition to Onana on Saturday is a player who didn’t enjoy such a favourable time at last year’s Afcon.

City forward Riyad Mahrez was unable to prevent his Algeria team crashing out at the group stage with three defeats.

The 31-year-old has, however, become the first African to win five Premier League titles as part of City’s Treble bid though.

He surpassed former Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba’s count of four titles, all achieved with Chelsea.

Now Mahrez’s shot at the Treble – only achieved once before by Manchester United – has captured the imagination of his country and one of the first Fennec stars on the global stage, Rabah Madjer, believes more silverware awaits his compatriot.

“For me, Manchester City is the best team in Europe. This is a team that plays very well with the ball.” he said.

“This is a team that has a lot of very good players, with a great coach in [Pep] Guardiola.

“We saw the last match against Real Madrid, and it was a great and well-deserved victory for Manchester City.”

Madjer, 64, won the European Cup with Porto in 1987 – overcoming their billing as underdogs to beat an illustrious Bayern Munich side.

The former striker, who netted 28 goals in a 14-year international career, scored the opening goal in a 2-1 win and is warning Mahrez and City not to take Onani and Inter lightly.

“It was an amazing final in Vienna,” he recalled.

“It’s true that we were really afraid because Bayern were an extraordinary team with the likes of [Andreas] Brehme and [Lothar] Matthaus. It was a team with a lot of experience but we played with lot of rigour.

“We won it and it is a game that will stay engraved in history. It was exceptional.”

Culled from the BBC

Football’s world governing body is not in favour of extending the current term of office of Cameroon Football Federation president Samuel Eto’o from 4 to 7 years.

Less than a year after the election of Samuel Eto’o, the Cameroon Football Federation (Fécafoot) has amended the term of office of the association’s president. This has now been extended from 4 to 7 years, with the term renewable only once. But it will take much longer for this provision, adopted at the General Assembly on 27 August 2022, to come into force.

Sport News Africa has learned that FIFA has not approved the new version of Fécafoot’s statutes. “FIFA secretary general Fatma Samoura wrote to the president of Fécafoot several months ago,” reports an informed source. “In her letter, she invited the Cameroonian leader to convene a new General Assembly before the end of May 2023. The aim was to cancel the point concerning the modification of the term of office of the president of Fécafoot and return it to 4 years”. As requested by FIFA, the Fécafoot General Assembly took place in Yaounde on Saturday 27 May 2023. The big news is that there is no mandate extension for Eto’o.

Tailor-made texts

Article 37 of Fécafoot’s new statutes, relating to the modification of the president’s term of office, is not the only “innovation” of the Eto’o era. Several provisions have been tailored to the needs of the governing body. Article 36, relating to the general conditions of eligibility, stipulates in paragraph 1.b that any candidate for an elective post must not have “been sentenced to a final custodial sentence accompanied by a detention order”. In other words, any individual who has been convicted by the courts may stand as a candidate in an election, as long as he or she has not been sent to prison.

According to Cameroonian analysts contacted by Sport News Africa, the aim of this new provision is to allow Samuel Eto’o to remain in office until the end of his term, and then stand again, even though he was found guilty of tax fraud and sentenced to 22 months in prison by the Spanish courts in June 2022. “Paragraph 1.d of article 36 of the old statutes disqualified him and stripped him of his status as president of Fécafoot. This stipulated that any citizen who had been sentenced to a final custodial sentence with a simple suspended sentence or with probation of more than six months could not be a candidate”, a journalist explains.

Source: Sports News Africa

Coton Sport has done it again. For the third year in a row, the Garoua-based club has been crowned Cameroon Elite 1 champion. After beating Gazelle (1-0) and Bamboutos de Mbouda (1-0), the Green and White finished the job by crushing Canon Yaounde (2-0) on Sunday 21, on the last day of the playoffs. Coton Sport Garoua now has a total of 18 Cameroonian championship trophies.

The party will be beautiful in Garoua, as this title seemed destined to Bamboutos de Mbouda. But the machine of the Cotonculteurs, skillfully built by Jean-Baptiste Bisseck, recruited less than two months ago, has opposed its solidity and determination until the end. Everything could have changed on Sunday but the northern club did not tremble against a rusty Canon.

Certainly the club of Yaoundé showed desire, but Coton Sport was more realistic. In search of a draw to be crowned, Patient Wassou and his teammates went on the attack. Abdouraman Daman, who had already scored in the previous match, opened the score for the Coton Sport (1-0, 23rd). Patient Wassou added to the score (2-0, 82nd) at the end of the game, allowing Coton Sport to achieve a perfect record of 3 wins in as many games. The club finishes first ahead of Bamboutos (6 points), Canon (3 points) and Gazelle (0 point).

Play-offs-3rd day

Bamboutos 4-1 Gazelle

Coton 2-0 Canon

Official League classification

1- Coton Sport 9 pts

2- Bamboutos 6 pts

3- Canon of Yaounde 3 points

4- Gazelle de Garoua 0 pt

Source: Sports News Africa

Chelsea owner Todd Boehly is looking to swap Croatian midfielder Mateo Kovacic with Inter Milan’s goalkeeper Andre Onana over the summer. The Blues are impressed by the development of the Cameroonian goalkeeper, who is set to play the Champions League final against Manchester City.

According to the reports from Inter Live, the Blues are optimistic about landing the Inter Milan goalkeeper. The hierarchy has expressed displeasure on Kepa Arrizabalaga and Edouard Mendy’s inconsistencies. Hence, they are looking for a fresh face in the middle of the sticks.

Onana has been linked with a £40m move to Chelsea. However, the transfer is not in advanced stages, as it emerged before the appointment of Mauricio Pochettino as manager. The board feels that a signing before the official appointment of a manager could bring a conflict of interest between them and the manager. Hence, they hope to receive the green light from the former Tottenham Hotspur manager.

Despite involving Kovacic in the deal, the Blues are also looking to bolster their midfield options for next season. There are links with Romeo Lavia and Moises Caicedo as partners for Enzo Fernandez in the middle of the park. However, Boehly’s main priority is reducing the club’s wage bill.

Chelsea have had a horrific 2022-23 season, as they are on course to finish outside the top 10 in the Premier League for the first time this century. Manchester City also knocked them out of the FA Cup and League Cup, respectively. Lastly, they lost to Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-finals. Now, the board hopes to right the wrongs of last summer and have better options to compete next season.

Source: Clutch points