It was a time long coming, but it is finally here. Cameroonians have been yearning for a former player to take over FECAFOOT after a steep decline in the popular sport both at home and of the national team. Chants of joy, jubilation and celebrations erupted on the streets around the nation when former international superstar Samuel Eto’o was elected the 17th president of the very important organization that oversees Cameroonian football.
In a vote of 43–31 on December 11, 2021, the Cameroonian star and international football sensation defeated incumbent Seidou Mbombo Njoya during the general assembly of FECAFOOT. Eto’o takes over just when Cameroon hosts the African Cup of Nations-AFCON 2021 that was delayed by COVID-19 and now runs from January 9 – February 6, 2022.
Samuel Eto’o
Reacting to his victory on his Facebook page, the new president said he is humbled. “PRESIDENT OF FECAFOOT I’ll be remembering today as one of the proudest moments of my life. I’m deeply grateful for to be elected as the new president of Fecafoot. Every single vote represents the energy and ambition of our football family to take our beloved sport to a level we’ve never seen before. Let’s get to work ”
Ronaldino, Lionel Messi and Eto’o
Eto’o who played and won championships with FC Barcelona and Inter Milan takes over the Cameroon Football Federation at a perilous time. The organization and sport are going through a turbulent time with internal squabbles in FECAFOOT , mismanagement and allegations of corruption that have demoralized the country’s football from its glorious path. FIFA has intervened several times to end fights between the organization’s directors. Eto’o is expected to mend things and put the sport back on track to its global golden status.
Eto’o and the Cameroon National Team
The 40-year-old who also played for Chelsea while making over 50 appearances for the Cameroon national team is adored in Cameroon and admired across the globe. At the peak of his career, he was considered one of the best strikers in the world and he led his country to win two African Cup of Nations titles and an Olympic gold medal.
With the election of the four-time African Footballer of the Year, many are looking forward to great changes after a monumental collapse of Cameroon football. Cameroonians wanted to see a change in the status quo because the people who were calling the shots were politicians who knew nothing about football. They wanted to see someone who has been there and understands the challenges that players go through.
Eto’o Playing for his national team, the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon
Football in Cameroon is crumbling under the weight of corruption and played more by politicians in the offices than on the field. Cameroonians want to see footballers come back and manage things. They believe that paradigm shift will restore trust in the league and organization. The legendary striker turn administrator said he is ready for the job ahead.
“I couldn’t be more ready to create a new chapter of Cameroonian football as the new president of Fecafoot. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for each and every message of support I’ve received since yesterday’s election. It means everything to me ,” Eto’o said.
The former FC Barcelona and Inter Milan star wasted little time after his election. On January 5, 2022, FECAFOOT announced significant changes that include an increase in the prize money for the Elite One and the subsidies to clubs, after a meeting with the Association of Elite Clubs (ASEC).
Eto’o and his predecessor, Seidou Mbombo Njoya
Eto’o’s vision for football goes beyond Cameroon. In an interview with africanews, the former Real Madrid star wants to see an African country win the World Cup.
Eto’o who is married with five children is the third former Cameroonian footballer to head the 59 year-old institution, after Emmanuel Mve Elemva and Pascal Owona Baylon.
ABOUT FLORENCE MAFOMEMEH – FOUNDER, OWNER AND EDITOR OF BNN
Florence Mafomemeh is the founder, owner and editor of Black Nation News – BNN
Mafomemeh is a multimedia, backpack journalist and three-time B Free award-winning community video producer. She produces long and short form video and audio stories and writes news for broadcast and online media. She is very passionate about stories that impact the lives of ordinary people.
A native of Cameroon in West Africa, Mafomemeh wanted to become a journalist since the time she was in secondary school. As a news junkie, she realized that news hardly reach all ordinary people and their stories were not being told. She told herself that she would be a journalist so that she would bring the news to them and give them a voice by telling their stories to the world.
Growing up, Mafomemeh watched, read and listened to a lot of national and international news and used much of her pocket allowance to buy international news magazines like Time and Complete Football International. In order to not miss the news, she slept with a small radio under her pillow and usually left a tape for news to be recorded for her when she was not at home.
Currently living in New York City, Mafomemeh graduated from Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY in 2019 with a master’s degree in Journalism. While in school, she produced radio and TV News stories on deadline as a one-man band. She also reported news stories around New York City for the NYCITY News Service. Florence was also a news reporter and co-anchor for 219 West, a TV News Magazine that aired on CUNY-TV.
As a field Community video Producer at Brooklyn Free Speech TV, Mafomemeh produces news stories that highlight issues in East New York and New York City. Her stories have had eight B Free Award nominations and three wins – The George Stoney B Free Awards for Social Impact and B-Informed, and The B Free People’s Choice Award. Florence has also freelanced for NYCPolitics.com and was a NYS Election Reporting Fellow with the Center for Community Media at CUNY.
Mafomemeh also has a B.S. in Broadcast Journalism from CUNY- Brooklyn College, a B.A. in English, and an M.A. in the Literatures in English and Commonwealth nations from the University of Yaounde 1 in Cameroon. She specialized/majored in Caribbean Literature, focusing on the West Indies where she did her dissertation on the works of V.S. Naipaul. She also has certificates in journalism, community news production & reporting, proofreading and editing 101 from New York University-SCPS, People’s Production House and Teacher’s College, Columbia University.
While at people’s Production House, Mafomemeh was radio reporter and co-host of Global Movements Urban Struggles-GMUS on WBAI Radio. GMUS was a show that tackled various issues facing various communities in New York City and around the United States.
Having lived through many challenging experiences and seeing people going through them everyday, Mafomemeh is passionate about telling stories that matter. She is fulfilling her childhood dream of telling ordinary people’s stories that impact their lives and help to inspire others.
I hope you have a great time here on BNN and find something to take with you even if it is just a good laugh! Please, do not forget to subscribe to/sign up for the newsletter with your e-mail address to receive notifications of new posts. Please, also show me some love by sharing the link to the site.
Also check out my personal blog at Talking Point With Florence where you can also see the “MORE YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT ME” blog post of November 2, 2013.
ABOUT FLORENCE MAFOMEMEH – FOUNDER, OWNER AND EDITOR OF BNN
Florence Mafomemeh is the founder, owner and editor of Black Nation News – BNN
Mafomemeh is a multimedia, backpack journalist and three-time B Free award-winning community video producer. She produces long and short form video and audio stories and writes news for broadcast and online media. She is very passionate about stories that impact the lives of ordinary people.
A native of Cameroon in West Africa, Mafomemeh wanted to become a journalist since the time she was in secondary school. As a news junkie, she realized that news hardly reach all ordinary people and their stories were not being told. She told herself that she would be a journalist so that she would bring the news to them and give them a voice by telling their stories to the world.
Growing up, Mafomemeh watched, read and listened to a lot of national and international news and used much of her pocket allowance to buy international news magazines like Time and Complete Football International. In order to not miss the news, she slept with a small radio under her pillow and usually left a tape for news to be recorded for her when she was not at home.
Currently living in New York City, Mafomemeh graduated from Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY in 2019 with a master’s degree in Journalism. While in school, she produced radio and TV News stories on deadline as a one-man band. She also reported news stories around New York City for the NYCITY News Service. Florence was also a news reporter and co-anchor for 219 West, a TV News Magazine that aired on CUNY-TV.
As a field Community video Producer at Brooklyn Free Speech TV, Mafomemeh produces news stories that highlight issues in East New York and New York City. Her stories have had eight B Free Award nominations and three wins – The George Stoney B Free Awards for Social Impact and B-Informed, and The B Free People’s Choice Award. Florence has also freelanced for NYCPolitics.com and was a NYS Election Reporting Fellow with the Center for Community Media at CUNY.
Mafomemeh also has a B.S. in Broadcast Journalism from CUNY- Brooklyn College, a B.A. in English, and an M.A. in the Literatures in English and Commonwealth nations from the University of Yaounde 1 in Cameroon. She specialized/majored in Caribbean Literature, focusing on the West Indies where she did her dissertation on the works of V.S. Naipaul. She also has certificates in journalism, community news production & reporting, proofreading and editing 101 from New York University-SCPS, People’s Production House and Teacher’s College, Columbia University.
While at people’s Production House, Mafomemeh was radio reporter and co-host of Global Movements Urban Struggles-GMUS on WBAI Radio. GMUS was a show that tackled various issues facing various communities in New York City and around the United States.
Having lived through many challenging experiences and seeing people going through them everyday, Mafomemeh is passionate about telling stories that matter. She is fulfilling her childhood dream of telling ordinary people’s stories that impact their lives and help to inspire others.
I hope you have a great time here on BNN and find something to take with you even if it is just a good laugh! Please, do not forget to subscribe to/sign up for the newsletter with your e-mail address to receive notifications of new posts. Please, also show me some love by sharing the link to the site.
Also check out my personal blog at Talking Point With Florence where you can also see the “MORE YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT ME” blog post of November 2, 2013.
