FIFA Bans Samuel Eto’o From Cameroon Matches

Cameroon great Samuel Eto’o was banned by FIFA on Monday from attending any national team games for six months.

Eto’o, who has been president of the Cameroon Football Federation since 2021, faced two charges from an incident at the Under-20 Women’s World Cup in Colombia on Sept. 11.

FIFA did not specify details of what happened at the round-of-16 game that Brazil won against Cameroon 3-1 after extra time.

Eto’o was judged to have broken disciplinary rules relating to “offensive behavior and violations of the principles of fair play” and misconduct of officials, FIFA said.

“The ban imposed on Mr. Eto’o prevents him from attending men’s and women’s matches involving [Cameroon] teams of all categories and age groups,” FIFA said in a statement.

The 43-year-old Eto’o represented Cameroon in four World Cups and secured consecutive Champions League titles with both Barcelona and Inter Milan, establishing himself as one of football’s top forwards.

This is not the first time Eto’o has faced controversy. He previously drew attention for his behavior towards players and national team coach Marc Brys, whom he allegedly threatened in front of cameras if his directives were not followed.

During the Qatar World Cup, the former Real Madrid, Mallorca, and Barcelona player made headlines again after assaulting a fan who filmed him outside a stadium after a match.