Samuel Eto’o decides not to appeal 15-match ban from Cameroon FA

The Indomitable Lions captain has accepted the disciplinary committee ruling that handed him the lengthy ban last week, with the striker's international career in the balance

Cameroon captain Samuel Eto’o, who was suspended for 15 international matches last week, said he has no intention of lodging an appeal against the decision of the nation's FA disciplinary committee.
A period of 10 days was given to appeal the verdict, but the lawyer representing the Anzhi Makhachkala forward said his client would not contest the decision because he was used as an unjust 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,” Kaldjob added.
The decision will keep the four-time African Player of the Year away from the Indomitable Lions set up during the majority 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 there have been suggestions he might be considering putting an end to 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.
The team’s 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 £1,400.