A four-time African Footballer of the Year, Samuel Eto’o, was on Saturday unanimously elected president of the Cameroon Football Federation.
Eto’o, former Cameroon striker, polled 43 votes to defeat acting president Seidou Mbombo Njoya, who polled 31 in the Saturday’s election.
Eto’o had initially been disqualified from running because he is also a Spanish citizen, but the ruling that nobody with dual nationality could run for office was challenged and later tossed out.
He received widespread support from many former team mates in a high profile campaign during which he pledged to rid the game in Cameroon of corruption.
Cameroon will host the African Cup of Nations from Jan. 9 to Feb. 6. It was stripped of the right to host the tournament in 2019 because of delays in preparation and security concerns.
Eto’o won the tournament twice with the Indomitable Lions during his playing days.
Reacting to his victory on Twitter, Eto’o said “I’m deeply grateful for to be elected as the new president of @FecafootOfficie.
“Every vote represents the energy and ambition of our football family to take our beloved sport to a level we’ve never seen before.”
Eto’o, 40, won African Player of the Year award for a record four times (2003, 2004, 2005 and 2010).
He played for Real Madrid, Leganes, Espanyol, Mallorca and Barcelona, Chelsea and Inter Milan during his career.
