Samuel Eto’o given honorary award by the UN

Samuel Eto’o Fils, the head of the Cameroon Football Federation (FECAFOOT), received an honorary award on Monday, September 25th, 2023, at the 78th United Nations General Assembly. The award was in appreciation of his work to stop the abuse and trafficking of people in sports.

“I had the great pleasure of speaking at a high-level side event of the 78th UN General Assembly about the important problem of exploitation and human trafficking in sports,” Eto’o said after receiving the award.

The 78th meeting of the UN General Assembly took place in New York. The gathering, which took place from September 19 to 26, brought together world leaders and stakeholders. It was held under the theme “Rebuilding trust and reigniting global solidarity: Accelerating action on the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals towards peace, prosperity, progress, and sustainability for all.”

Samuel Eto’o used the platform to talk about the plans he and his team at Fecafoot have for the safety of football players in the country.

With the help of his team, they plan to use biometrics, which will be a great way to fight against scams in sports.

“We need to work together and use new technologies to stop this terrible wrong,” Eto’o wrote on his social media platform.

Eto’o added that through this strategy, each person will get a fingerprint ID card to keep them safe and make it easy to track their payments. Players will henceforth get what they earn, he added.

During his speech, Samuel Eto’o praised the great things that the football league has done so far and talked about the modern football infrastructure projects that they are currently working on. He said that they are doing everything they can to help Cameroon’s football grow to the same level as world football, not just for Cameroon but for all of Africa.

Samuel Eto’o has been in charge of the Fecafoot since 2021. His opponents, staff members, and other collaborators have accused him of fraud, mismanagement, and — and urged him to resign. The unhappy football officials have written a letter to CAF — pending the body’s verdict.

To some, however, Eto’o Fils is what the Cameroon football landscape needs.