Sports Correspondent

Former Cameroon international, ex-Chelsea, and former Real Madrid midfielder Geremi Njitap has been banned from all football-related activities for five years following a disciplinary dispute with a Cameroon Football Association (FECAFOOT) official.

Njitap, who currently serves as president of the Cameroon National Footballers’ Union (Synafoc), was allegedly involved in a heated altercation inside the Indomitable Lions’ dressing room during the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations tournament in Côte d’Ivoire.

The disciplinary action was handed down after a hearing by FECAFOOT’s Ethics Committee, chaired by none other than Njitap’s former national teammate, Samuel Eto’o, who now serves as FECAFOOT President.

In a statement released by the committee, the ruling read:

“We declare Geremi Sorel Njitap, president of Synafoc, guilty of violating the behavioral rules of our code of ethics. We sentence him to a five-year ban from all football-related activities and impose a fine of ten million West African CFA francs [approximately $17,500].”

Njitap, a veteran of multiple World Cup and AFCON campaigns, has ten days to file a written appeal against the decision.

While full details of the incident have not been made public, insiders say tensions flared over player welfare issues, with Njitap allegedly confronting officials over poor conditions and mismanagement.

The ruling has sent shockwaves through the Cameroonian football community, with some viewing the punishment as excessively harsh, especially given Njitap’s longstanding advocacy for player rights.

One Synafoc member, speaking anonymously, said:

“Geremi stood up for the players. He may have gone about it the wrong way, but banning him for five years feels like an attempt to silence dissent.”