Samuel Eto’o resigns as Cameroon FA prez, but Executive Committee rejects offer

Executive Committee Samuel Eto’o’s request to resign as the association’s president has been denied by the Cameroonian Football Association’s membership.

Following Cameroon’s elimination from the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), Eto’o submitted his resignation letter. In the round of 16, Nigeria defeated the Indomitable Lions.

In December 2021, the former Cameroon international assumed the role of Fecafoot president.

However, his reign has not been smooth sailing, with some controversial moments over the last two and a half years.

Eto’o resigned after a disastrous AFCON competition, in which Rigobert Song’s team narrowly avoided elimination from the group stages following an exciting victory over Gambia, only to lose 2-0 to Nigeria in the final 16.

Throughout the tournament, the former striker was clearly present. Eto’o even broke down in tears when Cameroon made it to the knockout stages, but his stress level escalated after they were eliminated.

Fecafoot, however, stated in a statement released on Monday that Eto’o’s resignation had been turned down.

On Monday, February 5, at the Yaounde Hilton Hotel, the Cameroon Football Federation’s Executive Committee convened, according to the statement.

“The primary objective of the agenda was to assess the senior men’s national team’s performance in the Ivory Coast during the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations”

“At the beginning of the meeting, the President of the Cameroon Football Federation, Mr Eto’o Fils Samuel, tendered his resignation to the members of the federal executive organ, inviting them to do likewise in good faith.

“At the end of discussions and subsequent deliberations, the members of the Executive Committee decided to maintain their current mandates and thus unanimously rejected the President’s resignation.

“Thereby renewing their confidence in him to continue with the same spirit of reconstruction and development of Cameroon football at all levels as envisaged in his plan adopted by the elective General Assembly of December 11, 2021.”

Cameroon was unable to advance past the group stage of the 2022 FIFA World Cup and was eliminated in the round of 16 of the AFCON 2023 while under Eto’o’s leadership.