Samuel Eto’o elected as Cameroon FA president

Former Barcelona and Chelsea striker Samuel Eto’o has been elected as the President of the Cameroonian Football Federation (Fecafoot) on Saturday.

Eto’o saw off challenge from the interim President of Fecafoot, Seidou Mbombo Njoya after five other candidates opted out of the electoral race.

Prior to the election, Eto’o was acting as the global ambassador for the Qatar 2022 World Cup while Mbombo Njoya is currently the fourth vice-president of the Confederation of African Football.

Other candidates who pulled out of the race are Maboang Kessack, Nyamsi Soter, Justin Tagouh, Jules Denis Onana and Zacharie Wandja.

The election took place at the Hotel Mont Febe in Yaounde and it was supervised by the president of the Fecafoot electoral commission, Glibert Schlick.

Eto’o’s triumph at the poll means he will now take charge of the smooth running of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon between January 9 and February 6.

The 40-year-old won the continental title twice with the Indomitable Lions in 2000 and 2002, and he is celebrated as one of the icons of Cameroon football after claiming the African Player of the Year award for a record four times (2003, 2004, 2005 and 2010).

Back in September, Eto’o declared his candidacy for the top leadership position in Cameroonian football with the target of revamping the sport in the Central African nation.

Eto’o, who spent the majority of his playing career in Spain, had stints at Real Madrid, Leganes, Espanyol, Mallorca and Barcelona between 1997 and 2009 where he won several laurels including La Liga, Copa del Rey, Uefa Champions League, Fifa Club World Cup amongst others.

He continued his winning sojourn at Inter Milan for two years before he moved to Turkey’s Anzhi Makhachkala and England where he turned out for Chelsea and Everton.

The African legend ended his playing career in Qatar in 2019, four years after he called time on his international career that produced 56 goals in 118 games for Cameroon.