Samuel Eto'o as CAF president? What we know about the ambitions attributed to the Fecafoot president

Samuel Eto'o's name is being linked with the presidency of the Confederation of African Football (CAF). According to British daily The Guardian, followed by Afrik-Foot and several African outlets, the Fecafoot president has his eye on succeeding South Africa's Patrice Motsepe. This is not an official candidacy: neither Eto'o nor Fecafoot has commented.

What is being reported

According to these reports, Eto'o, a member of CAF's executive committee, privately believes he could one day lead African football, even if he does not say so publicly. Other names mentioned are Côte d'Ivoire's Yacine Idriss Diallo, Mauritania's Ahmed Yahya and Djibouti's Souleiman Waberi.

Why now?

Motsepe is said to have been weakened by his push to return to an AFCON every two years, a reform due to be confirmed next month: according to The Guardian, most federation presidents were not told before it was presented at a strategy conference. Motsepe also said publicly at the end of July that he would not seek another term.

The timeline

Motsepe's term runs until 2029. To challenge it early, CAF's statutes require a written request from at least two-thirds of the executive committee. No such move has been announced.

The FIFA backdrop

Zurich is part of the picture: Motsepe has pledged the support of all 54 African federations to Gianni Infantino's FIFA re-election bid, and Eto'o also backed the Swiss at the end of August. Our piece on the FIFA election and CAF's support.

We will update this article if a candidacy is confirmed or denied. Cameroon news: fixtures, results and predictions.