Samuel Eto'o, President of the Cameroonian Football Federation (FECAFOOT), has announced a major shift in the organization's financial policy. During a recent public address in Yaoundé, he stated that FECAFOOT will now be responsible for covering the salaries of all coaches of Cameroon's national football teams.
This decision reflects FECAFOOT's desire to reduce its financial dependence on the Cameroonian state. Eto'o emphasized that the federation aims to demonstrate its ability to assume its financial responsibilities and alleviate the burden on public finances.
"When we arrived at the head of the Cameroonian Football Federation after 26 years of career, I saw how others were doing. I thought to myself: 'this is not possible. We cannot continue like this... With this economic model where we are always going to the State. Asking the State to pay all the expenses of the national teams'," Samuel Eto'o explained. He added: "We are the ones who pay them today! Not because we are opposed to the State. But because we are Cameroonians and we believe in the State. But it is also a way for us to say to the State: 'you have done enough. Allow us to show you that we have grown. Because you have supported us during a moment in our lives. We have succeeded in another field and we are going to try to take care of ourselves'".
Eto'o also clarified that this initiative does not constitute opposition to the State or its representatives in any way. He insisted that the State is a collective entity and that government officials are chosen by the Head of State to accomplish important missions. He acknowledged that these officials can sometimes make mistakes but stressed the importance of correcting them to avoid being complicit in future failures.
This announcement comes as FECAFOOT seeks to strengthen its financial autonomy and optimize the management of resources allocated to Cameroonian football. By taking responsibility for the coaches' salaries, the federation intends to demonstrate its ability to invest in the development of national football and ensure better support for the national teams. In 2022, the Cameroonian government granted FECAFOOT a loan of 4.6 billion CFA francs to finance the Indomitable Lions' participation in the World Cup.
