FECAFOOT elections: Sports minister solicits MINAT to re-enforce ban.

The crisis, which had for months went to slumber, resurfaced last week, after FECAFOOT approached the sports ministry, requesting the Minister to designate a representative to the body’s planned November 29, 2025 election, in which incumbent President, Samuel Eto’o Fils, is likely to run unopposed.

After declining to designate a representative to the elective gathering, Sports minister, Prof Narcisse Mouelle Kombi, has now cornered Territorial Administration Minister, Paul Atanga Nji, pleading with the latter to help in reinforcing a ban on the meeting.

The recent actions of Minister Mouelle Kombi follows an earlier August decision in which he had placed a suspension on the holding of FECAFOOT elections nationwide but Samuel Eto’o had defied the order, proceeding to organise elections at the grassroots levels.

It is left to be seen if Eto’o will heed the Minister’s order and call off the November 29 elections.

More trouble loading…

In his letter, issued over the weekend and addressed to Minister Atanga Nji, Prof Mouelle Kombi, began: “I have the honour to request your competent services, throughout the national territory, to ban all constituent and/or elective assemblies in the field of football, including the one planned by FECAFOOT for 29 November 2025 in Mbankomo”.

Minister Mouelle Kombi explained that the said precautionary measure “will make it possible to calmly consider, with all the stakeholders concerned, the possibility of eventually organising a concerted, inclusive, peaceful and transparent electoral process”.

He continued that “…our attention has been drawn to the threats to public order generated by the electoral process initiated by FECAFOOT, with a view to appointing the leaders of the federal football executive for the next four years”.

Prof Mouelle Kombi recounted that: “In a letter dated 21 August 2025, we instructed the President of FECAFOOT, in view of the numerous recriminations made by many stakeholders and other potential candidates, to make adjustments to the electoral process initiated by him, in order to reach a preliminary settlement of all the problems raised, to correct the irregularities denounced and to scrupulously respect the Statutes in force, those of 13 July 2021 resulting from the FECAFOOT/CAF/FIFA concerted framework and all the stakeholders in football”.

Prof Mouelle Kombi told Minister Atanga Nji that in spite of the said ministerial directives relating to the establishment of an inclusive, consensual and peaceful framework, the President of FECAFOOT has continued with the electoral process. 

“This was done in an attitude of defiance towards State authority and against the advice of the supervisory authority to whom Law No. 2018/014 of 11 July 2018 on the organisation and promotion of physical and sports activities in Cameroon confers the responsibility of controlling, for their entry into force, the conformity of the texts of sports associations with the laws and regulations of the Republic, to authorise the operation of national civil sports federations by granting approval, to monitor, coordinate and promote physical and sports activities or to sanction, by suspending activities or withdrawing approval…”

In making a case against planned FECAFOOT elections, Minister Mouelle Kombi, indicted Samuel Eto’o of violating various relevant statutory provisions, of targeted and arbitrary exclusion of certain players and potential candidates and for including fictitious clubs and leagues in the electoral body.

Why elections must be suspended

In his letter in which the Secretary General at the Presidency was copied, Minister Mouelle Kombi revealed that the said irregularities and other facts presented as fraudulent are increasingly giving rise to numerous protests, disputes, denunciations, recriminations and complaints on the part of various arbitrarily excluded or simply outraged players. 

The minister said some of the actors are calling for the outright dissolution of FECAFOOT, through the withdrawal of its licence, while others are calling for the creation of a new federation to take charge of the country’s football. 

He regretted that despite calls for the suspension of the FECAFOOT Elective General Assembly, Eto’o Fils is bent on going ahead with the November 29 polls.

The minister hinted that “…several players are threatening to disrupt the aforementioned meeting”.

He said: “The multiple protests and parallel actions, against a backdrop of crisis, listed above, threaten public order in general and sporting public order in particular. The protective measure of ban requested thus contributes to the maintenance and preservation of peace and social cohesion, in accordance with the laws and regulations of the Republic. It in no way calls into question the rules of football's governing bodies, which oblige Member Associations to respect the laws of the States and to observe the principles of non-discrimination, equal opportunities, neutrality, transparency and openness in electoral processes”.

He said in the sensitive post-electoral context in which the country finds itself, and where President Biya has just urged Cameroonians to work for unity, togetherness and peace, football should be more a factor of national cohesion and not a vector of division between Cameroonians.

“We therefore suggest that a great deal of attention be paid to dealing with the critical situation underway at FECAFOOT, a situation whose gravity is obvious and worrying,” he concluded.

Eto’o Fils counting on "Very High Instructions"?

Observers who say they master the way the country is run, say Eto’o Fils may still have his way, not withstanding the letter from the ministry of sports, pleading with his counterpart of the Ministry of Territorial Administration, MINAT, to re-enforce the ban.

"Don't be surprised we get up one morning and are told: "On the Very High lnstructions of the Head of State, FECAFOOT has been given the go-ahead to hold the November 29, 2025 Elective General Assembly, as was initially scheduled".

Multiple sources told this reporter on strict anonymity that "Eto’o Fils seems to have the cover three powerful personalities at the Presidency". He however declined to disclose their identities.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3627 of Monday November 17, 2025