"Samuel Eto'o Alleges Being Targeted by Caf Ahead of Match-Fixing Hearing"

• "Samuel Eto'o asserts he's targeted by Caf ahead of match-fixing hearing: Alleges victimization in campaign."

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•  Eto’o has accused the Confederation of African Football’s general secretary of several breaches of Fifa’s code of ethics during the investigation into allegations that he was involved in match-fixing.
  

• The Guardian understands that Eto’o’s lawyers have lodged a complaint with world football’s governing body alleging that Véron Mosengo-Omba opened the investigation to create “negative publicity” about the former Barcelona striker, who has been president of the Cameroon Football Federation (Fecafoot) since December 2021.

  In August Caf opened an investigation after it said it had “received written statements from several Cameroonian football stakeholders to look into and investigate certain alleged improper conduct by Mr Samuel Eto’o”. Those are believed to have included allegations that he was involved in match-fixing after a recording of Eto’o speaking to someone alleged to be the president of a Cameroonian club, was made public.
• Eto'o's legal team has emphasized that the recording fails to substantiate any allegations of match-fixing and has raised concerns about its legality. They have lodged a complaint with Fifa, alleging that Mosengo-Omba played a pivotal role in orchestrating a media smear campaign against Eto'o. The complaint accuses Mosengo-Omba of violating multiple sections of Fifa's ethics code, including defamation, an assault on personal and moral integrity, abuse of authority, and breaches of general conduct rules and confidentiality obligations.
• "We have been able to pinpoint certain individuals who contributed to this situation, notably the secretary-general," said Antoine Vey, lawyer for Eto'o, speaking to the Guardian. "He is the one we are referencing in our complaint. We have inquiries regarding the origin and purpose of the recorded conversation
• "Mr. Eto'o does not recall participating in a discussion where he evidently discusses corruption. Upon listening to the recording, he is attempting to reassure a club president about certain issues, indicating they will be addressed, but without implying any illegal methods. We fail to grasp the relevance of the recording; it appears unrelated to the procedural matter and seems merely to be part of a campaign aimed at tarnishing Eto'o's reputation.
• Eto'o's legal team asserts that their attempts to communicate with Caf to arrange a hearing date went unanswered. They allege that it was only after filing their complaint with Fifa that a hearing date was granted, scheduled for Wednesday. This falls outside the time limit stipulated in Caf's disciplinary code, which states that any investigation should not exceed six months.
• "We firmly believe this investigation lacks substance and was merely instigated to generate negative publicity about Mr. Eto'o," stated Vey. "We condemn their actions. When examining the timeline, it's baffling why the hearing is taking place now instead of back in August. It's evident that certain individuals are exploiting procedural loopholes to propagate false information about him.
• Caf and Fifa declined to comment on the Guardian's request.
• Regardless of the hearing's outcome, Eto'o's future as Fecafoot's president hangs in the balance. His attempt to resign was rebuffed by the executive committee in February, following the Africa Cup of Nations defeat by Nigeria. He continues to clash with Cameroon's sports ministry, which unilaterally appointed Marc Brys as the head coach of the Indomitable Lions to replace Rigobert Song, a decision contested by Fecafoot.

• The Cameroonian Football Federation learned, at the same time as all Cameroonians, of the appointment to positions of responsibility within the national senior men’s football selection,” it said in a statement.

  Eto’o was reported to have rejected an invitation to the Belgian coach’s contract signing last week after being given two hours’ notice.

• Source:The Guardian