Samuel Eto'o elected president of the Cameroon football federation

Former player shone defending teams like Barcelona and Inter Milan

Published on 11/12/2021 - 21:52 By Reuters - Iaundé (Camarões)

Former striker Samuel Eto'o, four times named the best football player in Africa, was elected president of the Cameroon Football Federation (Fecafoot) on Saturday (11), a month before his country hosts the African Nations Cup.

The former player, who won the Champions League with Barcelona and Inter Milan, won the election with 43 votes from members of the General Assembly of Fecafoot.

Seidou Mbombo Njoya, current president and vice president of the African Football Confederation (CAF), got 31 votes.

Eto'o, 40, will take over an organization long marred by internal squabbles, mismanagement and allegations of corruption. FIFA has intervened several times to end fights between the organization's directors.

Eto'o was initially barred from running because he is also a Spanish citizen, but the decision that candidates with dual nationality could not run for the position was challenged and later dropped.

He received broad support from many former teammates and ran a high-profile campaign during which he pledged to rid Cameroon football of corruption.

Cameroon will host the Africa Cup of Nations between January 9 and February 6, 2022. The country has been stripped of the right to hold the tournament in 2019 because of delays in preparation and security concerns.

Eto'o won the tournament twice with the Indomitable Lions during his time as a player for the Cameroon national team.

Text translated using artificial intelligence.

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