Tension is rising around the upcoming presidential election at the Cameroon Football Federation (FECAFOOT), after a decision from the Ministry of Sports and Physical Education reignited controversy over which statutes will govern the process.
The correspondence, dated August 19, 2025, and signed by Joseph Yerima, Secretary General of the Ministry, states that only the statutes adopted in July 2021 are legally valid, potentially blocking outgoing president Samuel Eto’o from running for a second term.
The FECAFOOT election calendar opens next month, with the decisive vote set for November 29, 2025. All indications suggest that Eto’o, who has led the federation since December 2021, intends to seek re-election. However, his eligibility is now in question following the minister’s intervention.
At the heart of the dispute lies Eto’o’s 2022 conviction in Spain for tax fraud. While the former Barcelona striker avoided prison, the 2021 statutes of FECAFOOT clearly disqualify any candidate “condemned by a court of law.” This provision would automatically bar Eto’o from contesting.
In November 2024, FECAFOOT’s General Assembly amended its statutes, softening the criteria to exclude only candidates sentenced to prison terms “accompanied by a detention order.” This nuance allowed Eto’o, who never served time despite his conviction, to remain eligible for the presidency.
Many observers interpreted this amendment as tailor-made to protect the sitting president. But in his letter, Minister of Sports Narcisse Mouelle Kombi dismissed the 2024 revision, stressing that it had never been validated by the ministry as required by Cameroonian law. “Since the election of the current executive bureau of FECAFOOT, no text of the Federation has complied with the conformity control of the Ministry in charge of Sports,” the letter reads. As a result, only the July 2021 statutes remain legally enforceable.
The minister insists that consensus, inclusion, and respect for republican law must guide the electoral process, especially as Cameroon faces what he described as “a historic rendezvous” on October 12, when the broader electoral cycle officially begins.
This ruling has sparked debate across the sports and political spheres. Supporters of Eto’o denounce what they see as an orchestrated attempt to block the football legend from pursuing reforms he initiated during his mandate, notably in grassroots football and league restructuring. His critics, however, argue that the rule of law should prevail and that no exceptions should be made for individuals with criminal convictions abroad.
The coming weeks promise heated exchanges within FECAFOOT and beyond, as stakeholders brace for an election that could redefine the leadership of Cameroon’s most powerful sports federation. For now, Samuel Eto’o’s fate rests squarely on which statutes will ultimately govern the vote.
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