Cameroonian football has been tossed into yet another storm, with FECAFOOT president Samuel Eto’o once again seated, uncomfortably, at the centre of it. According to a report by The Sun, the legendary striker is alleged to have quietly pulled strings behind the scenes to ensure Vincent Aboubakar was left out of Cameroon’s squad for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
The motive?
To keep his treasured AFCON goal-scoring record intact. Eto’o, still the tournament’s undisputed marksman with 18 goals, reportedly didn’t fancy the idea of Aboubakar inching any closer, especially after the Beşiktaş man’s explosive 2021 AFCON campaign, where he rattled in eight goals and revived conversations about breaking the record.
The claims arrive as a shock, considering Aboubakar is still Cameroon’s captain and a proven big-tournament performer. His omission blind sided many who expected him to spearhead the Lions’ attack in Morocco. Instead, the squad announcement dropped like a grenade, sparking outrage and conspiracy theories across Cameroonian football circles.
FECAFOOT hasn’t offered so much as a whisper in response to the allegations, choosing instead to maintain a diplomatic silence as pressure mounts. Meanwhile, the timing couldn’t be worse: Cameroon, five-time African champions, are trying to build momentum heading into AFCON 2025, only for squad politics to hijack their build-up.
Aboubakar himself has not yet spoken on the matter, but given the noise, silence may not hold much longer.
The saga leaves fans wondering: is this a simple selection decision gone wrong, or yet another chapter in the never-ending Cameroonian football soap opera?
