Samuel Eto’o speaks in Lisbon, Portugal, after being presented with the Web Summit Innovation in Sport Award. Photo by Diarmuid Greene/Web Summit via Sportsfile, November 2, 2021, (CC BY 2.0) On December 11, 2021, Cameroonian star and international football sensation Samuel Eto’o, 40, was elected president of the Cameroon Football Federation (FECAFOOT). After the joy of his victory which reverberated on the streets of Cameroon has subsided, the football legend now faces the great task of rejuvenating the country’s football back to its global golden status. Eto’o won with 43 votes, against incumbent Seidou Mbombo Njoya’s 31 votes, during the general assembly of FECAFOOT. He is the third former footballer from that Central African nation to head FECAFOOT, after Emmanuel Mve and Pascal Owona Baylon. The Cameroon great has his sights set on achieving his objectives at all cost. Eto’o spoke to this reporter during a short press briefing immediately after his election in Mount Febe Hotel, Yaoundé: Thanks for making me your 17th president. I want to thank the delegates for bestowing the confidence on me. And to those who didn’t vote for me, I hereby extend my hand for collective work. I sincerely thank and appreciate Seidou Mbombo Njoya for the incredible work he has done so far. We shall start work immediately to ensure that our football is taken to higher heights. I have taken the challenge to give my best and I always deliver. Yesterday officially marked my first day as the new president of @fecafootofficiel. Thank you to my predecessor @MbomboSeidou for passing the baton. I have high hopes of what can be achieved in this next chapter of Cameroonian football 🇨🇲 pic.twitter.com/AXtRC695bc — Samuel Eto'o (@SamuelEtoo) January 18, 2022 The former FC Barcelona and Inter Milan star is adored in Cameroon and admired across the globe. The former footballer, now sports administrator, shoulders great expectations. Many are looking forward to great changes after a monumental collapse of Cameroon football. “This is the time to bring in change. Eto’o has been a great player on the pitch and he has to use that greatness off the pitch this time. So many people are looking up to him. And to whom much is given, much is expected,” Etienne Mainimo, a sport journalist in Cameroon told this reporter in Yaoundé, venue of the FECAFOOT election. Once Eto’o’s victory was announced, his fans flooded the streets in various cities to celebrate his win. Exhiliration at the Samuel Etoo street in Nkongmondo, Douala where Etoo spent part of his childhood. The fans are celebrating his victory after the former Cameroon international won elections at Cameroon's football Federation FECAFOOT #FECAFOOTElections #FECAFOOT pic.twitter.com/cVuogO0OkQ — Njie Enow: Mr Razzmatazz (@NjieEnow) December 11, 2021 “I am so happy and excited. It is unbelievable; I can’t believe this is happening, I am speechless. They said we could not win. But finally Eto’o has finally been elected president. We knew we would win and today we have,” Otto Bernard, a supporter, told Global Voices, as he dropped to the ground in joy. Although Otto was denied access to the election venue by security officials, undeterred, he waited at the gate till the election ended. “He is the savior of Cameroon football and I have no doubt in the next couple of years, we shall see total transformation. We trust in him and he has all our support,” Otto stated. Samuel Eto’o takes over management of the Cameroon Football Federation at a perilous time, with the sport undergoing perennial administrative upheavals. The internal squabbles in FECAFOOT have deterred football from its glorious path. The feud between FECAFOOT and the Ministry of Sport has generated some bad blood among club presidents , causing disunity among football administrators and untold harm to the game. Raymond Elume, a Cameroonian Sport analyst told Global Voices that he believes that “Samuel Eto’o is the candidate for unity. That is what he represents to me. Eto’o can bring the football family together.” Eto’o is reported to have made a lot of enemies during his hay days with the national team. Hence, he appreciates how important reconciliation is in his quest for exemplary leadership. “You have to bring the various fractions on the table. It is true that these people will not have the same ideology as you, but do your maximum best to see that you bring these parties together. Great leaders don’t live by regrets. They rather live by examples. This is the time we need to move ahead”, Etienne Mengnjo Mainimo asserted to Global Voices, a day after the elections in Yaoundé, Cameroon.