Geremi Njitap has vowed to escalate his legal battle with Samuel Eto’o, taking his case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) following a setback in Cameroon’s domestic sporting tribunal.
The former Cameroon international, who earned 119 caps and scored 13 goals for the Indomitable Lions, is currently the president of the National Union of Cameroonian Footballers (Synafoc).
He has been embroiled in a protracted dispute with Eto’o, now the president of the Cameroon Football Federation (Fecafoot), over internal governance issues.
Earlier this April, the Conciliation and Arbitration Chamber of the National Olympic and Sports Committee of Cameroon (CNOSC) dismissed Geremi’s challenge to Fecafoot’s contested resolutions.
However, Synafoc has made clear it will not accept the ruling and is preparing to take the case to international arbitration in Lausanne.
In a statement released Tuesday, signed by Synafoc’s General Secretary Blaise Daniel Ngas, the union criticized the CNOSC decision as inconsistent and legally questionable.
According to the union, the chamber had initially acknowledged that Synafoc had the legal standing to challenge the decisions but ultimately ruled that the body lacked grounds to request their annulment.
“Having filed its case yesterday (Monday) around 11 p.m., the collegiate body, after having rejected the exceptions of Fecafoot on the quality of Synafoc, on the foreclosure and on the violation of the principle of exhaustion of internal remedies, unexpectedly ruled that Synafoc had no grounds for requesting the annulment of the contested resolutions,” the statement read.
The union expressed frustration with what it described as a “curious ruling” and confirmed it would await the full written decision before filing an appeal with the CAS.
“Synafoc is awaiting notification of the reasoned decision to appeal this curious ruling. In the meantime, Synafoc calls on its members and supporters to remain calm and serene until the final outcome of these proceedings before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne.”
Geremi’s move signals his determination to challenge Eto’o’s authority and to seek reinstatement or recognition within the structures of Fecafoot.
The legal proceedings now move beyond Cameroon’s borders and into the realm of international sports law, where CAS will have the final say.
As tensions continue between two of Cameroon’s most celebrated football figures, the outcome of this legal fight may set a significant precedent for sports governance in the country.
