Former Chelsea star Geremi has been handed a five-year ban from football by Cameroon’s FA and fined £13,000 following a dispute with federation president Samuel Eto’o.
The 46-year-old, who earned 118 caps for Cameroon – the joint-second highest in the country’s history – lifted the Premier League title with Chelsea in both 2005 and 2006.
He also enjoyed spells at Real Madrid, Middlesbrough, and Newcastle before hanging up his boots in 2011.
Since retiring, Geremi has often found himself at the centre of controversy. He previously held a role with the National Union of Footballers of Cameroon (Synafoc), but has now been hit with a lengthy ban after a fallout with Eto’o.
The feud between the pair dates back to the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in the Ivory Coast, during Cameroon’s clash with Gambia.
Geremi was reportedly involved in a heated exchange with a member of Eto’o’s staff, which quickly escalated and resulted in the two having to be separated by those nearby.
Reports in Cameroon claim Geremi was ‘forcibly removed’ by nearby security on the orders of FeCafoot officials – and the governing body has now ruled that the former midfielder must serve a lengthy ban as a consequence of his actions.
‘We declare Geremi Sorel Njitap, the president of Synafoc, guilty of breaking the behaviour rules of our code of ethics,’ a statement read.
We sentence him to a ban from all forms of football activity for five years, and to a fine of ten million West African francs [£13,000]. He has ten days to submit a written appeal.’
Geremi’s assistant, Daniel Blaise Ngos, has also been sanctioned over the incident, receiving a two-year ban and a £6,500 fine.
Geremi is expected to launch an appeal against the ruling, with reports suggesting he could take his case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in a bid to overturn or reduce both the ban and £13,000 fine.
He made headlines last year after splitting from his wife following DNA tests that revealed the two children he believed were his were actually fathered by her former partner.
