FECAFOOT is Still in Deep Mess – Banks Won’t Release Funds to New President

President of the Cameroon Football Federation, FECAFOOT, Tombi à Roko

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Cameroon Journal, Yaounde – There are unconfirmed reports that the President of the Cameroon Football Federation, FECAFOOT, Tombi a Roko has sued banks that will  not cooperate in disbursing funds for the functioning of the federation.
The banks in question include, United Bank of Africa, UBA and ECOBANK. The will not disburse funds requested by FECAFOOT president in view of a decision of the Conciliation and Arbitration Chamber of the Cameroon National Sports and Olympic Committee, which had annulled his election as president.
Tombi a Roko has been at the helm of affairs of the federation for only about 100 days and is yet to lay hands on the money which seem to be the main reason for the scramble for the FA’s top job.
A Roko is acting in the backdrop of a November 18, 2015 ministerial decision validating his election as FECAFOOT president and seizing on the court to obtain justice.
Some representatives of the federation and other officials from the ministry of Sports and Physical Education were in the Yaounde magistrate court on January 5.
Abdouraman Hamadou one of the candidates also vying for the post of president of FECAFOOT who had filed a petition that led to the annulment of the election of Tombi a Roko, told reporters that the suit was filed after several attempts by FECAFOOT officials to withdraw money from the federation’s accounts. Abdouraman says his lawyers were part of the in camera hearing at the chambers of the Yaounde magistrate court.
Abdourahman is said to have filed a suit against FECAFOOT Tombi a Roko, accusing him of attempted theft for trying to get the banks to release funds to the federation. He said that FECAFOOT officials who appeared in court on behalf of the federation do not have the locus standi because they were sent by Tombi a Roko who, according to him, is not legally FECAFOOT president.
A source at FECAFOOT said however, that only UBA has been sued at the so far. The suit was filed by FECAFOOT and not by its president. The next hearing comes up this Friday.
It should be recalled that Abdouraman obtained annulment of FECAFOOT elections when he filed a petition to the Conciliation and Arbitration Chamber of the Cameroon National Sports and Olympic Committee late last year, pointing out that the election of Tombi a Roko did not conform to the texts of the federation. On November 12, the committee ruled in his favour.
The ruling followed an earlier one on another petition he had filed, criticising a new status drawn up by the normalisation committee for the federation and adopted on August 15, 2015. The statutes were also annulled.
The minister of Sports and Physical Education, in an attempt to put an end to the long-drawn-out stalemate at the Cameroon’s FA, signed a decision, validating the election of Tombi a Roko as President. The minister claimed he had the right to legalise the president’s mandate even if the election and statutes were faulty.
Former FECAFOOT President, Iya Mohamed is in jail for embezzlement of public funds at the Cameroon cotton development corporation where he was general manager.
 John B. Ndeh in his capacity as vice president of the last undisputed executive bureau of the federation was expected to take over and run the FA till a legally recognised team is elected. In retaliation to the minister’s decision, he swore to notify banks and other partners to halt all transactions with the federation until everything returns to legality.
source: cameroon journal