The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has ruled in favor of Cameroon Football Federation (Fecafoot) president Samuel Eto’o, dismissing a legal challenge brought by his former mentor and founder of Kadji Sports Academy, Gilbert Kadji.
According to an official document released on 7 May, CAS rejected Kadji’s appeal, marking the latest development in a prolonged and contentious legal battle between the two influential figures in Cameroonian football.
The dispute stems from a decision made last year by Fecafoot to suspend Gilbert Kadji from all football-related activities for five years.
The sanction followed Kadji’s boycott of the fifth division championship and his public criticism of the federation over its handling of player licensing. Out of approximately 50 licenses requested by Kadji Sports Academy, only 11 were approved—a move the club interpreted as discriminatory and obstructive.
In response, Kadji openly condemned Fecafoot’s actions, characterizing them as deliberate “harassment” and accusing the organization of failing in its administrative duties.
He later escalated the issue to the CAS, seeking legal redress.
However, the CAS ultimately found no merit in the appeal.
The court upheld Fecafoot’s position, ruling that the disciplinary measures and licensing decisions did not breach procedural norms or infringe on Kadji’s rights.
As a result, the tribunal ordered Kadji to cover 80% of the arbitration costs and pay Fecafoot 3,000 Swiss francs—equivalent to over 2 million CFA francs—in procedural expenses.
Cameroon’s football federation expressed satisfaction with the outcome in an official statement signed by Secretary General Isaac Noé Mandong.
🔴 OFFICIEL ! Le Tribunal Arbitral du Sport (TAS) REJETTE l’appel déposé par la Kadji Sports Academy contre la décision prise par la Commission Régionale d’Homologation et de Discipline de la Ligue Régionale de Football du Littoral. ❌🇨🇲
La KSA doit en outre verser 3000 (2,1… pic.twitter.com/9l2ww1Y425
— AllezLesLions (@AllezLesLions) May 8, 2025
“It [Fecafoot] welcomes the most recent decision made on May 7, 2025, regarding the Kadji Sport Academy case v. Littoral Regional Football League & Cameroon Football Federation,” the statement read.
The ruling not only solidifies Eto’o’s leadership within the federation but also underscores Fecafoot’s stance on regulatory compliance.
For many observers, it reflects the deepening divide between traditional football power brokers and a new generation of administrators committed to restructuring the sport’s governance.
The case has drawn considerable public interest, given Eto’o’s status as one of Africa’s most celebrated football icons and Kadji’s long-standing influence through his academy, which once nurtured Eto’o’s own early development.
With the court’s decision now final, the federation appears poised to continue its reforms unchallenged, at least for the foreseeable future.
