Article by Cosmin Nistor – Published Thursday, January 15, 2026 10:40 p.m. / Updated Thursday, January 15, 2026 11:18 p.m.
Samuel Eto'o, president of the Cameroonian Football Federation, has been severely sanctioned by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) following his conduct during the Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final between Cameroon and Moroccolost with a score of 0-2.
The CAF Disciplinary Committee decided to suspend Samuel Eto'o for 4 official CAF matches, during which he will not be allowed to enter the stadium, and to impose a fine of 20,000 dollars (approximately 17,000 euros).
VIDEO. The incident took place during the quarter-final between Cameroon and Morocco
The sanction was applied for violating the principles of fair play, after the former great striker protested vehemently at the decisions of the referee, being caught making angry gestures from the stands. The match between Cameroon and Morocco, played in Rabat, ended with the victory of the Moroccans, 2-0, eliminating the “Untamed Lions” from the competition. Later, Morocco also won the semi-final against Nigeria, 4-2 on penalty kicks, going on to meet Senegal in the final.
šØSamuel Eto'o pique une colĆØre noire en tribunes!#Moroccoš²š¦ #Cameroon šØš²#TotalEnergiesAFCON2025 pic.twitter.com/v2atQ0yQk1
ā Algeria Gate (@algatedz) January 9, 2026
According to the CAF statement, the sanction is based on: “the behavior of Samuel Eto'o Fils during the match played on January 9, in Rabat”.
The president of CAF, Patrice Motsepe, was a direct witness to the incidents, and the continental forum had already announced last week the opening of an investigation into the unacceptable behavior of officials and players in the quarter-final phase.
CAF stated that the decision is final and that “there will be no additional commentsā on this topic.
The Cameroonian federation contests the sanction
Cameroon's federation quickly reacted, expressing its disagreement with CAF's ruling, claiming that the procedure: “raises serious doubts about compliance with the fundamental requirements of a fair trial“
The officials announced that they still support Samuel Eto'o. Arriving at the head of the Cameroon Football Federation in 2021, the former striker has been involved in several scandals: allegations of inappropriate behavior, criticism of the management of the federation and open conflicts with Cameroonian football officials.
Scandal before the start of the Africa Cup of Nations
Just two weeks before the start of the final tournament, Samuel Eto'o was allegedly accused of trying to prevent Hatayspor striker Vincent Aboubakar (33) from joining the Cameroon national team.
According to African media, the reason would have been Aboubakar's closeness to Eto'o's goalscoring record for the national team: Eto'o managed to score 56 goals, while Aboubakar has 45, just 11 goals away.
