Summoned to the selection eight months after his suspension by FéCaFoot (Cameroon ian Football Federation), the Anzhi Makhachkala striker declined the invitation and suspended any participation in the selections with the Indomitable Lions.
In a letter sent by Samuel Eto’o to the president of Fécafoot, the attacker indicates that he is unable to respond favorably to the call from the den. “ I have just been notified of my selection for the match between the Cameroon team and the Cape Verde team, counting for the CAN 2013 qualifiers. Following this, I regret to inform you of my decision to suspend all participation in the selection, taking into account the fact that the inadequacies that I have had to decry on a recurring basis remain ,” we can read in the missive which can be viewed on the player’s official website.
The captain of the Indomitable Lions deplores the lack of organization and professionalism surrounding the team’s preparation. “ Our national team continues to be immersed in an environment characterized by amateurism and poor organization, incompatible with the demands of high-level sport,” continues the former Barcelona goalkeeper. While Cameroon faces Cape Verde next September for a place at CAN 2013, Samuel Eto’o knows that his group and the sporting public will miss him. But he hopes that his decision will change things around his selection. “I have no doubt that lovers of the Indomitable Lions will be able to understand my approach which aims solely to draw everyone’s attention to the imperative need to professionalize the management of this team, a true institution, which has brought so much to our nation and which we can legitimately still wait a long time ,” he concludes in his letter.
Samuel Eto’o was due to make his return to the selection at the beginning of September against Cape Verde, eight after his suspension for inciting his teammates to boycott a friendly match against Algeria in November 2011. The reason : non-payment of bonuses.
