Cameroonian Football Federation (Fecafoot) president Samuel Eto’o has been handed a six-month ban from attending any international matches involving the Central African country by a Fifa disciplinary panel.The former Barcelona and Chelsea striker was sanctioned following breaches of two articles of the world governing body’s disciplinary code.The ban was issued in connection with the Under-20 Women’s World Cup last-16 game between Cameroon and Brazil on 11 September which the South Americans won 3-1 after extra time.According to a Fifa statement, external, articles relating to offensive behaviour and violations of the principles of fair play and misconduct of players and officials were breached at the game in Bogota, Colombia, which Eto’o attended.The 43-year-old is now prevented from attending all football matches involving men’s and women’s representative sides from Cameroon, covering all categories and age groups.Fifa said the sanction would come into force immediately and that Eto’o had been notified.In their own statement released on Tuesday, external, Fecafoot claimed that the referee for the U20 World Cup match against Brazil, Maria Sole Ferrieri of Italy, who was also in charge of Cameroon’s group game against Colombia, had made “obvious” mistakes.It went on to say that at the end of the last-16 tie, Eto’o had “respectfully brought to the attention of officials the errors which, unfortunately for Cameroon, altered the results of the two matches” and that Fecafoot was “surprised and disappointed” by Fifa’s “unfortunate decision”.
Eto’o, however, will miss his first matches as Cameroon’s men face Kenya in a qualification double-header for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations this month.The four-time African Footballer of the Year had chaired a meeting in Douala on Monday to discuss preparations ahead of the visit of the Harambee Stars on 11 October.