Four-time African Footballer of the Year Samuel Eto’o has gained the right to be included on the candidate list for next week’s electoral congress of the Confederation of African Football after initially being removed from the race.
Samuel Eto’oThe Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld Eto’o’s appeal regarding his exclusion from the election for the AFC Executive Committee in Cairo, which will take place next Wednesday. Eto’o, president of the Football Federation of Cameroon, was removed from the candidate list for the executive committee in January but appealed his case to the higher sports body CAS, which ruled in his favor.
The African Football Confederation suspended Eto’o in January without explaining the reasons for the decision. In September, FIFA banned the Cameroonian from attending national team matches for six months for violating disciplinary rules after he allegedly verbally abused match officials at the U-20 Women’s World Cup in Colombia. Earlier this year, the AFC penalized Eto’o following an investigation into alleged ethical breaches when he took on a role as an ambassador for a betting company. Subsequently, the ban and a fine of $200,000 were lifted after an appeal.
The African Football Confederation will hold elections for its leadership positions next week, including the organization's president and representatives of the continent in the FIFA Council.
