CAF lifts sanctions against Cameroon FA president Samuel Eto’o

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has lifted the sanctions imposed on Cameroon Football Federation president Samuel Eto’o following an incident during the Africa Cup of Nations 2025 quarter-final between Cameroon and Morocco.

Cameroon Football Federation (Fecafoot) announced the decision on Wednesday, confirming that the disciplinary measures issued against Eto’o at first instance had been cancelled.

Eto’o had been given a four-match suspension and fined $20,000 (£17,323.30). CAF’s disciplinary ruling had found him “coupable d’avoir viole les principes de loyaute, d’integrite et d’esprit sportif” – guilty of breaching the principles of loyalty, integrity and sporting conduct – under Articles 2 and 82 of the CAF Disciplinary Code.

The case followed events around Cameroon’s 2-0 defeat by Morocco in the quarter-final on 9 January. Eto’o, the former Cameroon striker, had reacted angrily to the officiating while sitting in the official tribune at Stade Moulay Abdellah in Rabat.

His outburst took place only a few metres from CAF president Patrice Motsepe and Fouzi Lekjaa, the president of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF), who was hosting the match in his role as head of the Moroccan federation.

According to information reported by investigative journalist Romain Molina, Eto’o was also involved in a heated exchange with an official after the final whistle. The original disciplinary proceedings therefore covered both his conduct during the match and the alleged confrontation after it.

Fecafoot strongly criticised CAF’s initial decision, describing it as “depourvue de toute motivation explicite” – without any explicit reasoning. The federation said it would appeal and implicitly accused CAF of taking Morocco’s side in the matter.

The cancellation of the sanctions means Eto’o is no longer subject to the four-match ban or the $20,000 fine imposed after the Cameroon-Morocco fixture. Fecafoot’s announcement did not provide further details about the process that led to the sanctions being lifted.

Eto’o, who is one of the most prominent figures in African football, was elected president of Fecafoot and has remained a central figure in the organisation’s dealings with CAF. The disciplinary case had placed his conduct at a major international tournament under scrutiny, particularly because of the proximity of the incident to senior CAF and Moroccan football officials.

The quarter-final defeat ended Cameroon’s involvement in the competition, while Morocco progressed from the tie after winning 2-0. The match and its aftermath subsequently became the focus of the disciplinary action against Eto’o.

Fecafoot’s latest statement closes the case as far as the sanctions announced against its president are concerned, reversing the punishment that had initially been imposed after the events in Rabat.