Cameroon reduces Eto’o’s 15 match suspension

Cameroon’s Samuel Eto’o

Cameroon’s football federation has slashed a 15-match ban for national captain Samuel Eto’o, who will now miss just four games with the team.

The original ban was imposed by Fecafoot, the national federation, after Eto’o took part in a boycott of a friendly with Algeria on November 15 in protest at unpaid bonuses. However, the severity of the punishment drew widespread criticism, with protests coming from the players’ union and Cameroon’s former playing great Roger Milla.

Following an 11-hour meeting which ended early Saturday, Fecafoot announced the verdict on its website to reduce the ban to eight months, meaning the former Barcelona and Inter Milan striker will miss an African Cup of Nations qualifier over two legs against Guinea-Bissau and two 2014 World Cup qualifiers, against Congo and Libya.

A two-match ban on vice captain Enoh Eyong was reduced to two months, and effectively halved to one game, while a US$1,986 fine for Tottenham Hotspur defender Benoit Assou-Ekotto was dropped altogether.

The sanctions followed the Cameroon players’ refusal to travel to Algeria after completing a friendly tournament in Morocco, forcing local organizers to cancel the Nov. 15 match.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.