Cameroon captain Samuel Eto'o (Photo: Reuters)
Cameroon coach Denis Lavagne has decided to restore Anzhi striker Samuel Eto’o as captain of the national team after serving his eight-month ban.
The Frenchman had initially asked to strip the 31-year striker from the armband as he did not assume his responsibilities and sparked troubles. But according to camfoot.com there have been several negotiations lately in the Cameroon FA that ended with Lavagne overturning his decision.
Eto'o was given a 15-month ban by the FA for leading a strike in November 2011 when Cameroon refused to play a friendly in Algeria because they had not been paid promised bonuses.
Cameroon’s federation has been ordered by FIFA to pay Algeria $500,000 in damages after the game, for which more than 40,000 tickets were sold, had to be called off.
However the decision has been widely condemned in Cameroon, where the four-time African Footballer of the Year enjoys widespread popularity and Cameroon President Paul Biya himself had to intervene asking the FA officials to reconsider the heavy sanction.
The ban was reduced to eight month meaning the former Barcelona and Inter Milan striker had only to miss four competitive matches until the end of August.
The Cameroon FA has notified Eto’o, his agent and his club that his ban has expired and that he is set to be included in the Indomitable Lions squad for the Africa Cup of Nations 2013 qualifier against Cape Verde on 8 September.
Coach Denis Lavagne is set to announce the squad on Friday 24 August.
(For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports)
Short link: