Panafrican News Agency

Cameroon: FIFA approves FECAFOOT's plan to resolve football crisis

Yaoundé, Cameroon (PANA) – The world football governing body, FIFA, has approved plans by the Cameroonian football federation (FECAFOOT) to resolve the crisis that hit the federation more than a week ago, Joseph Awona, chairman of the normalization committee for the institution, said here on Friday.

FECAFOOT's electoral code is one of the nine-point agenda submitted to FIFA on 29 November by the federation for examination, says Mr. Awona.

The next meeting of the normalization committee will determine the modalities to implement the plans and the adoption of a calendar on the continuation of operations, in consultation with all concerned parties of the Cameroonian football family, in accordance with the calendar of the mandate given to the committee.

The crisis shaking FECAFOOT began on 4 July, 2013, following the FIFA decision to "suspend provisionally, the Cameroonian football federation for governmental interference", after the cancellation of the re-election of FECAFOOT current chairman, Iya Mohammed, jailed for alleged embezzlement of funds belonging to Cotton Development Company (Sodecoton), a company he had chaired for about 20 years.

In its statement, FIFA said that Cameroon, engaged in the World Cup qualifiers, could not be represented in any competition “during all its suspension”.

A crisis that was aggravated on 19 June 2013 when the members of the elective general assembly re-elected Mohamed chair although he had just been jailed for mismanaging Sodecoton.

A battle to control FECAFOOT was then triggered between John Begheni Ndeh and Marlène Emvoutou, both defeated candidates in the elections.

The suspension was finally lifted on 22 July 2013 with the establishment of a normalization committee which included 13 members and chaired by Joseph Owona with the mission to come out with plans and hold new elections on 30 March, 2014.

Up till now, Owona has not set any date for the general assembly of the federation.
-0- PANA EB/BEH/IBA/MSA/VAO 12July2014