The president of Victoria United Football Club, Nkwain Valentine, has been banned from all football-related activities for the rest of this football season for attacking and threatening referees during a match in January.
The disciplinary committee of the Cameroon Football Federation (FECAFOOT) also fined him FCFA 10 million after finding him guilty of interference and attack against match officials.
The attack happened during a game between Victoria United and Dynamo FC in Limbe on January 19.
Frustrated by the 1-1 tie on home turf, Mr Nkwain confronted the assistant and central referees at the sound of the final whistle. In a video that circulated online, he charged towards the match officials, raising his finger and apparently warning them.
The action prompted calls for FECAFOOT to take firm measures to prevent a repeat of such behavior.
The sanction on Nkwain Valentine will deter club executives and coaches from interfering in referees’ job, an issie that is frequent in the Cameroonian football landscape.
FECAFOOT’s sanction on Mr Nkwain Valentine comes amidst another another dispute in which he faces accusations of detaining and torturing Victoria United goalkeeper Eric Parfait Djomeni.
The Limbe-based businessman recently attended a summons at the Gendarmerie Legion in Buea, after a Djomeni’s family filed a criminal lawsuit, accusing him of kidnapping and detaining their son.
Both Victoria United and Eric Parfait Djomeni have denied the allegations as fake news. They said the claims aim to tarnish the club’s reputation.
