FECAFOOT Defends Legitimacy of Statutory Amendments Amid Government Scrutiny

       Mouelle Kombi            Samuel Eto'o

A fresh dispute has emerged between the Cameroon Football Federation (FECAFOOT) and the Ministry of Sports and Physical Education over the validity of statutory amendments adopted during the federation’s General Assembly on November 16, 2024.

In a letter addressed to Sports Minister Narcisse Mouelle Kombi on December 16, FECAFOOT President Samuel Eto’o Fils firmly defended the legality of the changes, insisting that the amendments complied with both the federation’s internal statutes and national laws.

Samuel Eto'o, FECAFOOT President in a Tête-a-Tête With Sports Minister Mouelle Kombi.

The controversy stems from the ministry’s earlier position, conveyed in a December 10 correspondence, that the new statutes could not take effect until FECAFOOT obtained a “certificate of conformity” as required under Article 7 of Law No. 2018/014 on the organization and functioning of physical and sports activities in Cameroon.

Samuel Eto’o, however, countered that the conformity check “cannot be used as a pretext to question the motives of an amendment legally adopted by a federation’s General Assembly.” He stressed that sports associations are, by law, free to draft their statutes provided they respect national legislation.

During the November assembly in Mbamkomo, amendments were made to six key articles of FECAFOOT’s statutes, touching on governance and organizational matters. 

     Samuel Eto'o, FECAFOOT President.

According to Samuel Eto’o, the process followed all procedural requirements: delegates received draft texts and explanatory notes on time, and the changes were overwhelmingly approved. The session was attended by representatives of both the Ministry of Sports and the Ministry of Territorial Administration.

The FECAFOOT boss further argued that the reforms were not arbitrary but aligned with modernization requirements set by FIFA and the Confederation of African Football (CAF). “The revision of FECAFOOT’s statutes was motivated by the need to adapt them to modernization requirements demanded by FIFA and CAF, and by the ongoing quest to improve the functioning of the institution,” Eto’o stated categorically.

Narcisse Mouelle Kombi, Minister of Sports and Physical Education.

He also accused unnamed individuals of attempting to derail the reforms, claiming they had solicited ministerial backing to undermine the new statutes and had already filed legal action seeking their annulment.

The dispute adds another layer of complexity to FECAFOOT’s ongoing governance battles, with potential implications for its relationship with FIFA, which traditionally resists what it considers undue government interference in football matters.

For now, the fate of the amended statutes rests on whether the Ministry of Sports will validate them or whether the matter will be decided in the courts.