Cameroon Football Federation (FECAFOOT) president Samuel Eto’o on Friday won his legal battle against the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to stand in as one of the candidates for its elective congress next week, Afrosport reports.
A ruling from the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) vetoed CAF’s order to exclude Eto’o from its executive committee elections in Cairo slated for Wednesday, 12 March.
The four-time African Footballer of the Year was previously ruled out of the contest by CAF’s governance committee in January, but his appeal has been upheld by CAS, sport’s highest court.
“Following a hearing on 3 March 2025, it is ordered that the CAF executive committee includes Eto’o in the list of candidates for election to the committee,” said a CAS statement.
“The CAS Panel considered that it was presented sufficient information to overturn the CAF Executive Committee’s decision concerning Eto’o’s ineligibility.
“It will be for the CAF Extraordinary General Assembly Meeting on 12 March to make its own evaluation of the candidates.”
CAF in January did not reveal a reason for excluding the former Cameroon international, who was suspended last year by both the African football body and FIFA.
He was banned in September by FIFA from attending the national team’s matches for six months for violating disciplinary regulations after allegedly verbally abusing match officials at the under-20 Women’s World Cup in Colombia.
The 43-year-old was also banned last July by CAF and fined $200,000 for allegedly violating the “principles of ethics, integrity, and sportsmanship” after becoming a brand ambassador for a betting organisation.
The sanctions, however, were rescinded last month on appeal.
The executive committee elections will see Patrice Motsepe re-elected unopposed as CAF president for a second four-year term. CAF representatives on the FIFA Council will also be elected, and the 54 member federations will all elect their leadership.
