Banned Eto´o rules out appeal

Cameroon captain Samuel Eto’o will not appeal the 15-match ban imposed last week by the FA disciplinary committee.

Eto’o had 10 days to appeal the verdict, but the lawyer representing the Anzhi Makhachkala striker said his client would not contest the decision because he claimed he was a scapegoat for the group.

“Samuel Eto’o will not appeal this decision because he’s a victim of a gross injustice,” barrister Gabriel Perfect Kaldjob told Xinhua.

“You cannot sanction the spokesman of a group in this manner.”

“Eto’o was defending the collective interest of the players of the national team. This sanction is aimed at ending the international career of my client with Cameroon.”

The decision will keep the four-time African Player of the Year away from the Lions set up during a better part of the qualifiers for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations and the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Eto’o is yet to give a statement, but some suggest it may end his international career.

The sanction was imposed after the team boycotted a scheduled international friendly against Algeria on November 15 in protest against the non-payment of bonuses accrued from the LG Cup they won a few days earlier in Morocco.

Vice-captain Enoh Eyong, accused of conspiring with Eto’o, was given a two-match ban, while Tottenham’s Benoit Assou-Ekotto, who has been spurning call-ups, was fined 1,500 euros.