English Premier League
Samuel Eto’o faces backlash after accusing former referee of acting against Cameroon
Samuel Eto’o has sparked fresh controversy after accusing a former international referee and army officer of attempting to work against the interests of Cameroon and Morocco during previous African competitions.
The president of the Cameroon Football Federation made the allegations at a graduation ceremony for a new group of Cameroonian referees. He warned the officials about some of the people they might encounter in their work before referring to “a former referee and an army officer” whom he accused of playing a negative role against his country.
Eto’o, speaking in comments highlighted by Cameroonian outlet CFOOT, claimed the individual had “tried to influence Morocco in favour of another country”. He added that the same person had “repeated the same thing when the Lionesses of Cameroon were taking part in the latest edition of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations”.
No name was given, and Eto’o did not provide any public evidence to support the allegations. He also did not explain what he meant by attempting to “influence Morocco”, how the alleged intervention was carried out or which country was supposedly intended to benefit.
However, the description quickly led to speculation that Eto’o was referring to Alioum Sidi, a former international referee and Cameroonian army officer who is now president of the Association of Cameroonian Football Referees.
CFOOT described the comments as accusing Alioum Sidi of having “played the wrong roles” during the latest men’s and women’s Africa Cup of Nations tournaments in an effort to prevent Cameroon from progressing in the competitions.
Alioum Sidi subsequently indicated that he believed Eto’o’s remarks were directed at him and issued a strongly worded response. The former referee categorically rejected “any accusation, insinuation or interpretation” suggesting that he had attempted to influence a match in favour of another country or acted against Cameroon’s interests.
He called on Eto’o to set out clearly the facts on which his claims were based and to present objective evidence proving the allegations.
Sidi also warned that he could take the matter to the courts and the relevant authorities to protect his honour, reputation and integrity if the claims were not supported by evidence.
The dispute comes against the backdrop of an existing legal conflict between the Association of Cameroonian Football Referees, which Sidi leads, and the Cameroon Football Federation. That case is currently before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
Sidi suggested that the dispute could be connected to what he described as the federation president’s “loss of composure”, referring to Eto’o.
Neither the alleged target nor the country said to have benefited from the supposed attempt to influence Morocco was identified in Eto’o’s remarks. There has also been no public disclosure of evidence demonstrating that any international match or tournament was manipulated.
The comments have therefore intensified a dispute involving Cameroon’s football administration and its refereeing community, while Sidi’s response has placed the burden on Eto’o to clarify the accusations and substantiate them.