Samuel Eto'o has thrown his weight behind Patrice Motsepe's vision for African football ahead of his second term as CAF president.
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Last week, the South African philanthropist was elected to serve as the head of African football's governing body for a successive term. The former Mamelodi Sundowns chairman has overseen tremendous growth within African football, from increasing the prize money in several CAF competitions to generating more revenue for the institution during his initial tenure as head of African football.
Plenty of administrators had advocated for the Pretoria native to reprise his role when the elections came around. While the CAF president will be the same for the next four years, there has been change within the organisation's executive committee, as a new EXCO was elected in Cairo earlier this month.
One of the new members of CAF's executive committee is football legend Samuel Eto'o.
Interestingly, CAF suspended Eto'o in July 2024 for "seriously violating the principles of ethics, integrity, and sportsmanship" after he became a brand ambassador for a betting company. This ban would have prevented Eto'o from vying for an executive committee spot.
The Barcelona and Inter Milan icon was a late inclusion onto the ballot sheet after a successful appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport regarding a case against CAF, but he will represent the Union of Central African Football Federations (UNIFFAC) within the elite continent, and the Cameroonian chief has expressed his belief in what Motsepe has in store for the continent.
"I am not elected as CAF president, but a member of the Executive Committee led by President Motsepe. What is certain is that, through his vision, I will always be ready to provide certain solutions," Eto'o said while speaking to TV5 Monde.
"There are many other football enthusiasts who want to see Africa reach a higher level," he added.
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"I am convinced that together, under the leadership of President Motsepe, we will succeed in moving African football forward."
Eto'o remarks come after Patrice Motsepe revealed that the governing body's run-ins with the Cameroon legend in the past should remain in the past as the duo seemingly appear to be on the same page.
"He (Eto'o) has now been elected as one of the leaders of African football, and the most important thing is that we must support him," Motsepe revealed.
"Everyone at CAF must ensure that incidents involving Eto'o in the past must remain in the past.
"Nothing that occurred previously should now be held against him. I believe he has an important contribution to make.
"Cameroon, under the leadership of Samuel, will return to its glory days."
