Eto'o eyeing position in CAF Executive Committee as elections hold today.

The gathering to be presided over by the president of CAF shall be attended by key African football leaders, including presidents of CAF’s 54 Member Associations and its six Zonal Unions. 

Senior international football stakeholders shall also be in attendance. 

Eto'o is running for an executive committee position. He is hoping to secure one of the top posts at the heart of African football governance and a representative on the FIFA Council. 

According to a recent report from South African publication SABC, Eto'o is among 10 candidates currently in the running for a spot on the CAF Exco. 

CAF President Dr Patrice Motsepe on his part has been nominated unopposed for the second term. 

The CAF Executive Committee is made up of a president, five vice presidents, 17 members and a Secretary General. 

If Eto'o is elected today, he would continue in the footsteps of his compatriot, Seidou Mbombo Njoya who served as CAF Fourth Vice president, whom he defeated to become FECAFOOT president. 

It is worth mentioning that CAF’s Governance Committee and Executive Committee had blocked Eto’o’s candidacy in decisions made on 24 and 25 January 2025. 

CAF did not reveal why it had to exclude Eto'o from running for an executive committee position. 

However, experts say the African regulatory football body took the decision following the ex-footballer’s disciplinary records. Eto'o was suspended at both continental and international levels. 

In September 2024, FIFA banned Eto'o from attending the national team's matches for six months for violating disciplinary regulations, after allegedly verbally abusing match officials at the Under-20 Women’s World Cup in Colombia.

CAF also banned Eto'o after an inquiry into purported breaches of its ethical and integrity standards when he took up a role as ambassador for a betting company.

However, after a successful appeal, the ban and a $200,000 (approximately 120 million FCFA fine) were later lifted. 

However last Friday, the Court of Arbitration of Sport, CAS, overturned the decision from CAF and ordered the continent's regulatory football body to include Eto'o's name on the list of candidates for the election of members of the executive committee of the organisation. 

Prior to today's election, Eto'o was among representatives of the six CAF Zonal Unions who discussed the growth and development of Football in member associations. 

According to CAF, Eto'o held an individual meeting with the CAF President to review the significant progress made in their respective zones as a result of renewed and stronger partnerships established with CAF over the last four years.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3390 of Wednesday March 12, 2025