FECAFOOT president stage set for Bell as Tombi's passport is confiscated

The withdrawal of the passport of Tombi à Roko, Secretary General of the Cameroon Football Federation, FECAFOOT, by judicial authorities could be green light for former Indomitable Lions’ keeper, Bell Joseph Antoine, to become next president of the federation.

Tombi à Roko had earlier on been declared the only legitimate candidate for the FECAFOOT top job. The decision by the FECAFOOT normalization committee to retain him as the only candidate triggered bitter debates amongst football lovers who saw in the move a hidden hand that wanted to hand the Federation top job to Tombi on a platter of gold.

Tombi’s lone investiture led to the disqualification of the candidatures of other potential contestants, including Bell Joseph Antoine, former Lions’ keeper and trainer, Jules Nyongha and many others.

In the midst of the controversy, the FECAFOOT normalization committee president, Joseph Owona was fingered for reportedly trying to push through Tombi to become the next FECAFOOT president. Persistent protest later led to the disqualification of all applications and elections pushed to February.

Should Tombi à Roko remain in the hands of the judiciary following the withdrawal of his passport, Bell Antoine could easily grasp the coveted job, observers say.

According to the rules governing elections into FECAFOOT, any candidate facing mismanagement or embezzlement charges as is the case with Tombi is automatically disqualified from seeking election into any office.

The reason why Tombi’s supporters are already pointing accusing fingers at some quarters accusing them of framing him in order to bar him from contesting.

Withdrawal of Tombi à Roko’s passport

Going by unofficial information, Tombi à Roko’s passport was seized by airport police at the Douala international airport last Monday. Tombi, according to an unnamed source who spoke to The Cameroon Journal, had already boarded a plane for Malabo, Equatorial Guinea to watch the Africa Cup of Nations when the police emerged and ordered him out of the plane.

Even though some media reports say the FECAFOOT secretary general was subsequently conveyed to the Special Criminal Court for interrogations, The Journal gathered from a credible source that Tombi only had his passport seized. In effect, his trip to Malabo ended immediately his passport was withdrawn.

The police are reported as stating during the operation that they were executing orders from the Delegate General for National Security who had instructed them not to allow Tombi travel out of the country. Going by the police, the delegate general’s instructions came on the heels of a request made by the Special Criminal Court, SCC that Tombi’s passport be withdrawn.

Details about why his passport was seized are still sketchy; however, media reports say the withdrawal of his passport may be connected to the alleged opaque management of funds accruing from the GOAL project way back in 1999.

The then president of Asian Football Association and director general of GOAL project, Mohammed Bin Hammam allegedly paid the sum of 200.000 dollars to FECAFOOT to support Qatar’s bid to host the 2022 World Cup.

But it is alleged that the money, meant to be used in the construction of a FECAFOOT technical centre at Odza neighbourhood in Yaounde, was instead deposited in the private account of a FECAFOOT official.

The centre was earmarked to host three training podiums, a lodge for athletes, a restaurant, an administrative building and a multipurpose hall. The entire project was estimated to cost 600 MFCFA.