48 hours after his suspension, Samuel Eto'o counterattacks and delivers a bloody response to FIFA

Suspended for six months from all Cameroon national team matches, Samuel Eto'o, president of the Cameroon Football Federation (Fecafoot), reacted to the FIFA sanction.

On Monday, the organization took a severe decision by prohibiting Eto'o from attending any match of the Cameroonian selections, whether men's or women's, and for all age categories. This sanction, perceived as a bolt from the blue, follows his opposition to a penalty awarded against the Lioncelles Indomptables during their defeat in the round of 16 of the U20 Women's World Cup (1-3 ap). According to FIFA, Eto'o allegedly exerted pressure on the officials, a behavior described as “offensive”, thus violating the principles of fair play and good conduct stipulated by articles 13 and 14 of its Disciplinary Code.

Eto'o harshly criticizes refereeing

On Tuesday evening, the former star striker reacted strongly to the sanction. In a press release, Samuel Eto'o highlighted “blatant refereeing errors” noted not only by him, but also “by all the spectators and viewers” present at the stadium or having watched the match on television. He claims that the penalty which led to the Brazilian equalizer “was tainted by indisputable irregularities”, according to the official statement.

The president of the Cameroonian Football Federation did not hesitate to point the finger at the match referee, whom he considers guilty of failings. In his eyes, this referee had already made a mistake by refusing a penalty to Cameroon during the group stage against Colombia. Furthermore, Eto'o considers that FIFA interpreted his actions in a biased manner, insisting on the fact that he had only “reported to the officials errors which, regrettably for Cameroon, influenced the results of the these two meetings.