Samuel Eto’o challenged by Alioum Sidi over allegations of Cameroon interference

Samuel Eto’o has been challenged to provide evidence after an unnamed former international referee and army officer accused the president of the Cameroon Football Federation (Fecafoot) of making serious allegations about his conduct during recent African competitions.

Alioum Sidi, who believes he was the subject of Eto’o’s remarks, has rejected the claims and warned that he could take legal action unless the Fecafoot president explains them clearly.

The dispute began during an event marking the graduation of a new group of Cameroonian referees. Eto’o used the occasion to warn match officials about the company they keep and referred to “a former referee, a military man by profession”.

He accused that individual of playing “bad roles” against his own country.

“The same former referee, a military man by profession, tried to influence Morocco for the benefit of another nation,” Eto’o said. He also claimed the person had “done the same thing when the Indomitable Lionesses were competing in the last AFCON”.

Eto’o did not name the former referee, nor did he explain how the alleged attempt to influence Morocco had been carried out or identify the national team that was supposedly meant to benefit.

However, his description was quickly linked to Alioum Sidi. The former international referee is an officer in the Cameroonian army and is currently president of the Cameroonian Association of Football Referees (ACAF).

Sidi responded in a statement the following day, saying he had clearly recognised himself in Eto’o’s comments.

“I categorically reject any accusation, insinuation or interpretation” suggesting that he attempted to influence a match for the benefit of another nation or acted against Cameroon, the former referee wrote.

He called on Eto’o to “clearly specify the facts” and publish the objective evidence on which the accusations were based. Sidi added that, if this did not happen, he would refer the matter to the relevant courts and authorities in order to protect his honour and integrity.

The ACAF president also offered a possible explanation for what he viewed as a personal attack.

His organisation is currently involved in a dispute with Fecafoot before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). Sidi suggested that the ongoing case might account for what he described as a “loss of self-control” by Eto’o.

CamFoot, a media outlet regularly known for taking a highly critical position towards Eto’o, has also placed the president’s remarks in the context of that institutional dispute. That interpretation does not establish whether the allegations themselves are true.

No evidence supporting Eto’o’s claims has been made public at this stage, and neither side has provided further details about the alleged incidents involving Morocco or the Indomitable Lionesses.

The row opens another front in Cameroon football, which has been marked by continuing institutional battles. It also places further pressure on the relationship between Fecafoot and the country’s refereeing authorities as the legal dispute before CAS continues.