Almost a month following Cameroon qualified once morest Algeria (2-1 aet) in the second leg of the 2022 World Cup, this meeting continues to generate a lot of ink. While Fennecs coach Djamel Belmadi explained on Sunday that “it’s not the best team that qualified“, while addressing new refereeing reviews, the president of the Cameroonian Federation (Fecafoot), Samuel Eto’o, replied to him on Monday through a press release. In it, the instance “expresses its deep concernfollowing the media release of Belmadi, which would fuel doubts regarding the integrity of Cameroonian leaders.
«The person concerned implies that the result of the match would have been distorted to the detriment of Algeria by the referee and a “conspiracy of 2 or 3 people”. Cameroon reserves the right to bring the matter before the FIFA Ethics Committee in the coming days“, threatens the document. “But already, Fecafoot disputes these defamatory allegations instilled in an allusive manner and repeatedly formulated by Algerian football leaders. It regrets that the persistence of this long-term controversy is likely to cause incidents similar to verbal aggression suffered by Cameroonian officials on April 1 in Doha on the sidelines of the draw for the Qatar 2022 World Cup.»
Eto’o lectures
The former FC Barcelona striker then finished with a lesson in fair play addressed to the Algerians. “Fecafoot is deeply attached to the values of sport. She reminds us that the glorious uncertainty of our sport can hold results that are difficult to accept. But, that in all circumstances, respect for the rules of the game, consideration due to the opponent and acceptance of the result must prevail. It is the duty of any high-level leader to prepare the competitors and the public to taste, if necessary, the bitterness of defeat and experience the pain of an elimination in an unlikely scenario. Cameroon did it a few weeks ago when the national team was eliminated in the semi-finals of CAN Total Energie 2021 organized on its own soil. It was the same when the Indomitable Lions conceded a defeat (0-1) once morest Algeria in the first leg which was played at the Japoma stadium in Douala.“, recalled the authority.
«Fecafoot urges Algerian football leaders to use legal channels to exercise their recognized rights (Algeria filed a appeal with FIFA, editor’s note). It asks all those involved never to forget the hedonistic function of football. Football is a game that must unite us in defeat as in victoryconcluded Eto’o. Nothing to dispassionate this controversy…
PRESS RELEASE FROM THE PRESIDENT OF FECAFOOT FOLLOWING THE COMMENTS OF THE COACH OF ALGERIA – Cameroon Football Federation https://t.co/7KszkUBvPj
– Fecafoot-Officiel (@FecafootOfficie) April 25, 2022
The press release from Fecafoot
