Cameroon football icon Geremi Njitap has been banned from all football-related activities for five years and fined $16,500 by the Cameroon Football Federation (FECAFOOT), following a disciplinary clash with federation president Samuel Eto’o.
The decision, announced this week by FECAFOOT’s ethics committee, stems from an alleged code of conduct violation during the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Côte d’Ivoire.
Njitap reportedly had a heated exchange with a member of Eto’o’s inner circle during Cameroon’s match against The Gambia and was forcibly removed from the stadium on federation orders.
A former Chelsea and Real Madrid midfielder, Geremi earned 118 caps for Cameroon and captained the team during their run to the 2008 AFCON final.
He won two Premier League titles with Chelsea and later became president of Synafoc, Cameroon’s players’ union.
The fallout with Eto’o has fuelled speculation that the sanctions are politically motivated, aimed at blocking Geremi’s rumoured aspirations for football leadership in Cameroon.
Daniel Blaise Ngos, Geremi’s assistant at Synafoc, was also sanctioned with a two-year ban and an $8,250 fine.
Geremi has ten days to appeal and is reportedly considering taking the matter to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Switzerland.
