Ex-Chelsea and Real Madrid star banned from football for five years after Samuel Eto'o row

Ex-Chelsea and Real Madrid star banned from football for five years after Samuel Eto'o row Newspoint | 19/06/2025 20:39:16

Former Chelsea ace Geremi has been given a five-year football ban and a £13,000 fine by Cameroon's FA following a spat with president Samuel Eto'o.

The 46-year-old, who also had stints at clubs such as , Middlesbrough and Newcastle before hanging up his boots in 2011, finished his career with 118 caps for Cameroon, the joint-second highest in their history.

Since retiring, he took on the role of head of Cameroon's players' union Synafoc, but found himself in a sticky situation during the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations after allegedly clashing with an official of Fecafoot - the country's football association.

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Fecafoot boss Eto'o, whose illustrious career included spells at Chelsea, Barcelona and Inter Milan, was reportedly riled by Geremi's conduct, instructing his former Cameroon colleague to be ejected from the dressing room. Fecafoot disclosed Geremi's extensive ban in a statement, citing a breach of their "code of ethics" and offering him a 10-day window to appeal, reports .

"We declare Geremi Sorel Njitap, the president of Synafoc, guilty of breaking the behaviour rules of our code of ethics," the statement read. We sentence him to a ban from all forms of football activity for five years, and to a fine of 10 million West African francs [£13,000]. He has 10 days to submit a written appeal."

Geremi's associate Daniel Blaise Ngos also received a ban in connection with the incident. He has been handed a two-year ban and fined £6,500.

As per Foot Boom, Geremi attempted to enter the Cameroon dressing room following their victory over Gambia during the tournament, before officials "forcibly removed" him, leading to a "tense" altercation. It's said that Geremi will exercise his right to appeal against the decision and may even escalate the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Geremi had a successful career, clinching La Liga and the Champions League twice with Real Madrid, making 76 appearances for Los Blancos. He then transferred to Chelsea in the 2003-04 season and won two Premier League titles under Jose Mourinho, featuring 109 times for the Blues and netting nine goals.