FECAFOOT: Njalla Quan Jr’s accusations too serious to ignore.

Cameroon football, the only thing that appears to unite a country groping for national unity and peace, is rolling into the abyss of indignity. 

One of the top elected executive officials of the Cameroon Football Federation, FECAFOOT, and club owner, Henry Njalla Quan Junior, has flip opened the FA’s Pandora's Box, spilling the reeking beans.

Not just the stench is coming out of FECAFOOT's Pandora's Box but in respect to the Greek mythology, vicious allegations of corruption, threat to life, ferocious intrigues, match-fixing and gross dictatorship are coming out.

At the nexus of the vicious circle, is FECAFOOT’s President Samuel, Samuel Eto'o Fils, whose 18 months on the job, after initial promises to develop the game have been mired with red cards in courts and management misfeasance.

The balloon has been exploded by Njalla Quan Junior, who inherited the Njalla Quan Sports Academy from his late father. By virtue of his determined campaign for Eto'o Fils, he was ‘elected’ 4th Vice President of the Executive Committee of FECAFOOT.

But in recent times, both team mates at FECAFOOT have been on each other's throat. 

In a recent executive meeting organised by Eto'o Fils, participants ‘unanimously agreed’ that Njalla Quan be suspended. 

They said they had found him ‘guilty’ of insubordination and disclosure of FECAFOOT's confidential information.

Their decision was beefed up with the relevant text governing the organisation. 

Njalla Quan would have appealed but he opted to take his case to the court of public opinion where the battle has been between supporters of Eto'o and those against.  

Eto'o's supporters have compiled a list of the various bonuses, salaries to players and stadiums under construction as his achievements in his 18 months on the job. 

There is also a ‘Motion of Support’ reportedly from  the South West Regional League, trending on the social media; part of which reads: "Given the interest he takes in the development of football in the South West Region, the attention he pays to our difficulties when they arise, the breakthrough of the sons and daughters of the South West Region at various levels of the national teams and in other positions within FECAFOOT, the men and women of football in the Region express their gratitude to the boss of FECAFOOT, Samuel Eto’o Fils".

Those on the accusing side, including the Association of Amateur Football Clubs of Cameroon, held an extraordinary meeting of its executive board on Wednesday and demanded Eto’o’s resignation. 

They faulted him on nine points in a communiqué they later disseminated on the social media. 

The issues raised include among others: “The anti-statutory and illegal modification of the current mandate of the President of FECAFOOT; from four (04) years to seven years, total opacity in the financial management of FECAFOOT; the members of which are the clubs know nothing of the budget adopted on August 27, 2022, whereas in the past, the amount of the annual budget of FECAFOOT as well as the estimated income and expenditure were within reach of members. They also cited the exclusion from competitions, without valid reason, of certain clubs; propensity of the President of FECAFOOT to resort, in violation of the statutes of FECAFOOT, to common law courts for sports disputes; lack of transparency and objectivity in the choice of national team coaches and players in all categories”.

The presidents also raised the issue of “Non-redistribution to amateur football clubs of the direct financial benefits of the 2022 World Cup; signing of a sponsorship contract between the President of FECAFOOT and a sports betting company, in violation of the provisions of the FIFA Code of Ethics and the FECAFOOT Code of Ethics; appointment by the President of FECAOOT, of individuals to replace regional executives and regularly elected departmental executives, without any legal basis; arbitrary exclusion of all members of the Executive Committee of FECAFOOT who criticise the opaque and very personal management style of the President of FECAFOOT; poor performance of our various national selections, a consequence of risky management of these selections and  the financial consequences relating to the unilateral termination of Coach Toni Conceição's contract”.

Many of these accusations have been in the media but what has ignited the flaring fire are the allegations by Njalla Quan Junior, who said "…despite the designation of Head of Delegation alongside the 3rd Vice-President, I did not receive a Franc from FECAFOOT before, during and after the World Cup".

The Guardian Post congratulates Njalla Quan for exposing the alleged vicious manipulations in the management of Cameroon football which should be investigated by FIFA and some by the security which border on common crimes like threat to life and corruption.

We have had occasions before to warn in this column that managing football is different from excelling as Eto'o did with his mesmerising and scintillating performances on the field. 

The allegations against him, though he remains innocent until proven guilty, are serious. At that rate, Cameroon soccer, which is just bouncing on past glories will continue to deteriorate. 

If his conscience is pricked by the accusations, honour demands that he resigns for the interest of Cameroon football which supersedes personal glorification and stardom.