Mbaizo’s wife has sought U.S. visas for herself and the couple’s son for years, and always been rejected. The Union don’t want to lose an important player, but can’t change federal immigration laws.

Union right back Olivier Mbaizo’s long-running frustration with his family’s inability to get U.S. visas escalated Tuesday.

A source confirmed a report from the Athletic that Mbaizo has asked the Union to find a deal that gets him to another country, so that his wife and son can be with him instead of stuck in their native Cameroon. They’ve applied for visas multiple times in the 25-year-old’s five years here, and always been rejected.

This was music to the ears of teams abroad that have been quietly pursuing Mbaizo for a while, and now will get louder. They know that last fall, he became the first active Union player to make a World Cup team, even though he didn’t see the field in Qatar.

Sporting director Ernst Tanner’s phone likely lit up after the news broke, with inquiries hoping to leverage Mbaizo’s discontent into a discounted transfer fee.

The Union have been planing for a while to cash in on Mbaizo’s success, with Nathan Harriel growing into his role as a platoon-level right back. In fact, it would have come as no surprise had the Union sold Mbaizo during the winter.

Right now, though, Harriel is the only other right back on the roster. So the Union will presumably try to keep Mbaizo happy through the end of this season, then see what can be done.

Unfortunately, an answer that keeps Mbaizo here for the long term is likely out of the Union’s hands. His family’s inability to get visas is up to the federal government’s immigration policies. And Mbaizo is far from alone in being stuck.

The issue came up prominently in the last few days in the National Women’s Soccer League, with two players who will play in the upcoming World Cup. Racing Louisville and Nigeria forward Uchenna Kanu told the Athletic that her family has been denied U.S. entry visas for years, going back to when she graduated from Florida’s Southeastern University in 2019.

“I’ve had my teammates, their family come over and watch them, and sometimes I’m sad about that,” Kanu said. “There’s nothing I can do because I’ve tried a couple of times to invite them over and to visit [the United States], but sometimes they get denied visas. Especially when I was graduating college, I sent a letter to my mom and the Embassy of the United States to grant my mom a visa to come to my graduation and she got denied as well.”

Louisville and Brazil forward Ary Borges told the Athletic it’s been “a little cumbersome” to get her family into the U.S. And the difference in the players’ words isn’t just rhetorical – there are differences in how their countries get treated, here and elsewhere.

The citizenship advisory firm Henley & Partners tracks data for a global ranking of how much access each country’s passport grants its citizens. Cameroon has a score of 50, while the United States has a score of 185. Nigeria’s is 45 and Brazil’s is 169.

Keep that in mind as the Union try to find a solution that works for all sides involved.

Source: The Philadelphia Inquirer

A group representing amateur clubs in Cameroon has called on legendary former player Samuel Eto’o to resign from his post as president of the country’s football federation, citing “grave irregularities” in the organisation.

Last week, Cameroon’s Amateur Clubs’ Association (ACFAC) voted 11-1 in favour of asking the four-time African Footballer of the Year to stand down.

It said the 42-year-old, who played for several of Europe’s top clubs, should resign “if he still loves Cameroonian football, as he has always claimed”.

ACFAC called for Cameroon’s sports minister to intervene, and mentioned the possibility of asking Fifa president Gianni Infantino to do the same.

Among its list of concerns, ACFAC said the decision to change the Fecafoot president’s mandate from four to seven years was both anti-statutory and illegal. It also highlighted the lack of publication of new statutes adopted last August.

There were also questions to answer, it said, about Eto’o’s decision to take an ambassadorial role with a sports betting company, which could be in violation of both Fifa and Fecafoot rules.

Fifa says people bound by its code “shall be forbidden from participating in, either directly or indirectly, betting, gambling, lotteries or similar events or transactions related to football matches or competitions and/or any related football activities”.

Football’s world governing body mentions a sanction of either a fine or ban from football for any violation of its ethics code regarding connections to betting and gambling, with any “direct or indirect financial interest” outlawed. It is unclear if Eto’o is personally profiting from his involvement with the company.

In late June, top-flight Cameroonian club UMS de Loum asked Fecafoot to investigate the matter, and also raised it with both Fifa and the Confederation of African Football (Caf).

Fecafoot has signed a deal with the same betting company to sponsor both the men’s and women’s international teams, as well as the top two divisions of the country’s football league.

In a statement issued at the time, the federation said the deal had been agreed in compliance with all ethical codes and was further proof of Eto’o’s drive to “modernise” Cameroonian football.

ACFAC also claimed in its statement that unnamed individuals in Fecafoot are manipulating matches in order to successfully bet on their outcomes.

The BBC invited Fecafoot to comment on the nature of ACFAC’s claims about the organisation and its president, but has received no response.

Questionable reign

Eto’o had a hugely successful playing career, winning the Champions League three times, the Africa Cup of Nations twice, as well as league titles in Spain and Italy and an Olympic gold medal. His administrative career has been less sparkling.

In 2019, the former Barcelona, Inter Milan and Chelsea striker chose to become a special adviser to then Caf president Ahmad, but the Malagasy administrator was later banned from football for two years after being adjudged to have breached various Fifa ethics codes.

Three months after taking charge of Fecafoot in December 2021, Eto’o chose to replace coach Toni Conceicao, who guided Cameroon to a third-place finish on home soil at last year’s Nations Cup, with former team-mate Rigobert Song.

The appointment was unusual in that it was said to have been made on “very high instructions” from Cameroon president Paul Biya, despite Fifa outlawing any political interference in the running of a federation.

At last year’s World Cup, which Cameroon exited in the group stage, regular goalkeeper Andre Onana was dropped following a heated row with Song, who was understood to have Eto’o’s backing.

In a statement, Fecafoot expressed “its full support” for Song, who the body said was keen on “preserving discipline, solidarity, complementarity and cohesion with the national team”, prompting Onana – a reported target for Manchester United – to leave the Indomitable Lions’ camp mid-tournament.

In June last year, the 42-year-old pleaded guilty to a $3.8m (£2.96m) tax fraud relating to his image rights while playing for Barcelona.

“I admit the facts and I am going to pay what I’m due, but let it be known that I was just a child then and that I always did what my former agent, who I considered like a father, asked me to do at that time,” Eto’o said after the ruling.

Handed a suspended 22-month prison sentence, he was issued with a fine of $1.8m (£1.4m) which is said to have taken a toll on his financial health – with reports stating he is living in a hotel in the Cameroonian capital Yaounde at Fecafoot’s expense.

‘Fecafoot on the verge of bankruptcy’

ACFAC said it had further concerns regarding the “arbitrary exclusion” of various high-ranking Fecafoot members who “criticised the opaque and very personal management” of Eto’o while also questioning an ongoing lack of transparency in Fecafoot’s financial dealings.

Late last month, it was reported Cameroon would not be sending an under-20 side to a regional tournament in DR Congo because of a lack of funds.

“ACFAC’s executive members have reached the conclusion that Fecafoot is on the verge of bankruptcy on all levels and that it is imperative to act in a bid to save what still remains of Cameroonian football,” the statement said.

Source: BBC

Cameroonian and French professional mixed martial artist, Francis Zavier Ngannou has left Cameroonians, football fans and social media users buzzing after sharing some photos of himself and France national team captain, Kylian Mbappe eating Cameroonian meal together.

Sharing photos of Kylian Mbappe and himself eating the famous Cameroonian meal, Ndole, Francis Ngannou tweeted: “Enjoying the most famous Cameroonian dish Ndole with @KMbappe”

This tweet from Francis Ngannou sharing photos of himself and the France international enjoying Cameroonian dish together in Cameroon has attracted reactions from Cameroonian, football fans and social media users, as some have said this is the best pictures they have seen in a long time, while some have said the Cameroonian meal looks delicious.

Source: Opera News

France’s star footballer Kylian Mbappé arrived in Cameroon to an ecstatic welcome from fans Thursday for a visit that includes charity work with deaf children and a trip to his father’s village.

Many among the hundreds who greeted the 24-year-old forward were dressed in his Paris Saint-Germain team’s football jersey for the occasion.

They excitedly screamed his name as he emerged from the airport in the capital Yaounde, according to an AFP journalist.

A group of about a hundred traditional dancers performed in his honour. Smiling widely, the footballer waved to the crowd who were kept at a distance by police, before being whisked away in an SUV with tinted windows.

“We are proud to see our Cameroonian brother. We want to offer him a very warm welcome,” high-school student Vannel Kunde, 16, enthused.

Mbappé, who is also captain of France’s national team, will stay during his visit lasting several days at a hotel complex belonging to the family of French former tennis champion Yannick Noah, who lives in Yaounde.

On Friday, he is due to visit a school for youngsters who are deaf and hard of hearing in the capital’s suburbs, according to his itinerary seen by AFP.

He is also set to take part in a basketball game, with expectations it will involve retired NBA player Joakim Noah, the son of Yannick. Later on, he takes part in a football match against second division Cameroon club FC Vent d’Etoudi.

Saturday sees him head to the economic capital, Douala, to visit a school and then go to Djebale, his father Wilfried Mbappé’s village. His father left Cameroon at a young age for France where he became a football trainer.

‘Follow in ancestors’ footsteps’

The trip is an opportunity for Mbappé to visit in Yaounde and Douala two schools supported by his own charitable foundation, Inspired by KM, his team in Paris said in a statement.

It’s also a chance to “follow in the footsteps of his ancestors in Djebale, to spend time with young Cameroonians”, it added.

Arsene Pinlap, 37, one of those waiting to catch a glimpse of Mbappé at the airport, spoke of “a pride” as a Cameroonian in welcoming the star to the west African country.

“But it’s also an honour to be able to see the best player in the world,” said the president of the PSG fan club in Yaounde.

Another fan, 18-year-old schoolgirl Armelle Ntsama said: “It’s a great joy for us, the children who love football.”

The French footballer is also due to meet some of the country’s officials, including Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute, his team said in the statement, adding he would discuss projects he would like to set up in Cameroon.

The visit comes amid ongoing questions about Mbappé’s future at Paris Saint-Germain.

Mbappé declared last month that he would not extend his contract, which expires next year, but has indicated he wants to remain for a final season.

The club must therefore sell the player in the current transfer window, otherwise they will likely lose him for nothing when his deal ends.

On Wednesday, PSG president Nasser al-Khelaifi insisted that Mbappé “must sign a new contract” if he wants to remain at the club next season.

He joined PSG from Monaco in August 2017 in a 180-million-euro ($196-million) deal and has gone on to establish himself as one of the world’s most prominent players.

Source: AFP

As the Kylian Mbappé saga continues to unfold during the summer transfer window of 2023, the Paris Saint-Germain forward finds solace in a journey to Cameroon, his father Wilfrid’s country of origin.

Amidst the whirlwind surrounding his future, with statements from PSG President Nasser Al-Khelaïfi and revelations about a potential transfer to Real Madrid, Mbappé takes advantage of his vacation to escape the media frenzy. Following visits to Marrakech and a stay in Miami, the French national team captain travels to Cameroon, accompanied by former basketball player Joakim Noah, according to radio station RFI.

During his time in Cameroon, Mbappé is set to engage in various activities, including visits to local sites and a special match with the Vent d’Etoudi Football Club, a second division team in Cameroon owned by Yannick Noah, the renowned tennis player. The Vent d’Etoudi Football Club is based in the village of Etoudi, located north of Yaoundé. Since his father’s passing in 2017, Yannick Noah has assumed the role of village chief and established the “Village Noah,” where the 2018 World Cup champion will be accommodated for two nights.

In addition to these official visits, Mbappé plans to reconnect with the football pitch, an activity he hasn’t participated in since the France-Greece match on 19th June (1-0). The France striker is expected to join the local second division team, Vent d’Etoudi, for a friendly match. This is seen as an opportunity to foster connections with the Cameroonian football community.

Source: getfootballnewsfrance

There appears to be fresh crisis within the Cameroon football circle after 24 referees were suspended.

The suspension according to the Cameroon Football Referees Association in a statement, was effected following their alleged involvement in betting and match fixing.

The statement revealed that the suspended referees include main referees and their assistants in football, futsal and beach soccer.

“The suspended referees are exempted from all refereeing-related activities and throughout the national territory for their direct or indirect involvement in sports betting games and match-fixing, transactions related to competitions and matches,” the release said.

The President of the Cameroon Football Federation (FECAFOOT), Samuel Eto’o is still under investigation after he agreed to be an ambassador to a betting company which is against the FIFA ethical operation.

Since the emergence of Eto’o, a former international and African footballer of the year, Cameroon’s football has been dogged in several controversies.

Source: The Heritage Times

The Confederation of African Football (Caf) is celebrating the life of Cameroon football icon Marc-Vivien Foé, who tragically collapsed and passed away during a Fifa Confederations Cup semi-final match against Colombia in 2006.

Monday marked the 20th anniversary of his tragic death, whose life was cut short after at the peak of his football career at age 28.

Vivien Foé plied most of his trade in the France topflight, where he played for RC Lens and Olympique Lyon, respectively.

The tenacious and skilful midfielder also had brief stint with English Premier League sides West Ham United, spending one season with them, and Manchester City on a season long loan.

Caf have since paid tribute to the former Indomitable Lions football star, including Cameroon striker Roger Milla.

“Monday marked the solemn occasion of the 20th anniversary of the tragic death of Cameroonian football star Marc-Vivien Foé,” Caf said in a statement.

“As CAFOnline.com reflects on this tragic event, we pay tribute to a remarkable African footballer Marc-Vivien Foé, whose life was tragically cut short on June 26, 2003, during a FIFA Confederations Cup match in France.

“We pay homage to Foe’s extraordinary playing career, his unwavering dedication to the Cameroon national team, his immense contributions to his clubs, as his enduring legacy both on and off the pitch continue to inspire the current generation.”

Source: Sunday World

The next few months are likely to be turbulent for Samuel Eto’o, the president of the Cameroon Football Federation, with the CAS proceedings concerning the vacancy in his post, suspicions of a breach of the FIFA Code of Ethics and the legal battle being waged by professional clubs.

The future of the Cameroon Football Federation (Fécafoot) looks uncertain. The next few months promises to be tumultuous, particularly for Samuel Eto’o. Various threats are hanging over his mandate, jeopardising his position at the head of Cameroon’s football governing body.

Proceedings underway before CAS

Legal proceedings are currently underway before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). It follows a challenge to the resolutions of the General Assembly of 27 August 2022. The main issue is the legitimacy of Samuel Eto’o as president of Fécafoot, calling into question the convening of the meeting. According to his opponents, Eto’o “ceased to be president of Fécafoot on 20 June 2022, the date on which he was sentenced in Spain to 22 months in prison for tax fraud”.

The case was brought before CAS by Guibaï Gatama and certain members of the General Assembly. A hearing was held on 7 June 2023. CAS now has 120 days to render its verdict. If Samuel Eto’o is declared unfit to lead Fécafoot, this should result in a power vacuum.

Eto’o targeted by FIFA investigation?

There is a second threat hanging over Samuel Eto’o. It relates to questions of ethics and integrity. Sport News Africa has learned that a number of cases have been brought against the Cameroonian football boss before the ethical jurisdictions of CAF and FIFA.

One of these cases relates to the contract that the president of Fécafoot recently signed with a sports betting company, appointing him as the company’s ambassador. “This investigation is being conducted in confidence and the results could have far-reaching consequences if the facts exposed are proven to be in breach of FIFA’s Code of Ethics,” warns a former Fécafoot employee.

Tussle between Fécafoot and professional clubs

Internally, the Fécafoot presidency is facing a poisonous atmosphere. Unfulfilled promises, poor performances by national teams, dysfunction at federal level and suspicions of wheeling and dealing denounced by club presidents and other players are all causing anger. Most of the clubs in the professional leagues have launched a protest movement.

The problems raised concern refereeing, manoeuvres favouring certain clubs, and the non-payment in full of the subsidies announced. “Of the 48 million CFA francs earmarked for each club in the first division this season, for example, only 33 million have been paid,” says a club president from Elite One. He also points to the “incompetence of the championship organisers”.

Clubs call for an audit

Faced with these problems, some clubs have expressed their desire to leave the championship organised by Fécafoot and are calling for the Professional Football League (LFPC) to be rehabilitated. They are also demanding an audit of the funds granted to Fécafoot by the top sponsors of professional leagues. They are also demanding an audit of the state subsidy. The latter are reportedly ready to boycott the next season if their demands are not met. Given their considerable numbers, Fécafoot and Samuel Eto’o find themselves in a delicate situation.

Source: Sports News Africa

Another day, another story linking Inter Milan goal keeper, Andre Onana, with a move to Manchester United.

If reports in the Italian media are anything to go by then in the coming days, Man Utd will make an official move between £34m-£43m to sign the Serie A star.

As per today’s version of La Gazzetta Dello Sport, Man Utd have ‘decided’ to make a big offer to sign the Cameroonian international in the summer transfer window.

The Italian media source have mentioned that the Red Devils have decided to leave the negotiation table for the renewal of David De Gea.

Now, they are set to strongly bet to hire the services of Onana.

Yesterday, there was a meeting between the representatives of United and the 27-year-old star’s agent. In the discussion, the Old Trafford outfit communicated their decision to make an official offer by the end of the month.

The bid should be between 40 million euros (£34m Man Utd’s will) and 50 million euros (£43m Inter’s request).

GdS claim such an offer could convince the Nerazzurri president to endorse the sale of Onana in the summer transfer window.

After serving the club for twelve years, it seems that David De Gea’s time at Manchester United is finally coming to an end.

Source: The Faithful MUFC

The building of the ill-fated Olembé Stadium is the source of a new investment arbitration claim.

Italian construction company Piccini Group has made a claim against the government of Cameroon in a dispute that appears to relate to the troubled construction of the Olembé football stadium in Yaoundé.

The stadium was built between 2018 and 2021 for the hosting of the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations football tournament, when it was the site of a tragic crowd crush which killed eight people.

Perugia-headquartered Piccini was the construction contractor until 2020, when the government withdrew the project from the Italian company and handed it to Canadian company Magil. Earlier this year, Magil warned of non-payment by the Ministry of Sport and Physical Education and threatened withdrawal and legal action if the matter persisted, while reiterating its hope that it could complete the second stage of the project – involving the construction of facilities surrounding the stadium.

The case was filed on 8 June at the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), the World Bank’s investor-state dispute settlement body, under the auspices of the 1999 Italy-Cameroon bilateral investment treaty, against the Cameroonian President Paul Biya, Prime Minister Joseph Ngute, the minister of state and ministers for external relations, justice, sports and public projects.

The Italian company has enlisted Withers to represent it. The London-headquartered law firm declined to comment, while Piccini has not responded to an enquiry, but media reports from Cameroon suggest the dispute relates to the stadium and the ICSID filing refers to a “construction project”.

The Cameroonian government has also been contacted for comment. In 2021, Piccini was reported to have taken Cameroon to the ICC International Court of Arbitration, although the status of that case is currently unclear.

Source: African Law and Business