FIFA reacts to conflict in Fecafoot

The Committee for Standardization of Fecafoot, jointly established by Fifa and the Cameroonian Government, will in a week end its second term of operations.

In the course of its mission which is to manage the day-to-day affairs, rewrite the new texts and organise elections for establishment of a bureau of director for the Cameroon football Federation, the standards Committee presided over by Joseph Owona faces objections that could nullify all the work done so far.

In their determination to go after their missions against winds and tides, Joseph Owona and his peers of the Standardization Committee recently received support from the Secretary General of Fifa.

The patron of the administration of football in the world's umbrella body, notably takes position in the conflict between the Fecafoot and the national Olympic and sports Committee in Cameroon (Cnosc). This Committee, through its conciliation and Arbitration Chamber, declared unlawful the extraordinary general meeting of the Cameroon football Federation of 23rd August which had adopted the new texts of the Fecafoot.

And it is on the basis of these new texts and regulations that the standards Committee organized the ongoing electoral process in the federation. For various reasons, Joseph Owona and peers refused to implement the decision from the Cnosc and termed it unreliable.

"We are surprised at the unilateral sentence of the Board of conciliation and arbitration of the national Committee of Olympic and sports of Cameroon while the principle arbitration considered a prior agreement between the parties involved, which seems not to have been the case with Fecafoot in this case.

Furthermore, the appeal to the Board of conciliation and arbitration of the national Committee Olympic and sports of Cameroon is expected in the new statutes of the Fecafoot adopted August 23, 2014, but, again, required that the parties give their agreement in advance" Jérôme Valck, Secretary general of Fifa noted in a letter addressed to Joseph Owona.

"We would like to remind you that, FIFA member associations are required to manage their affairs in an independent way and without any interference from third parties (articles 13 and 17 of the Fifa statutes) otherwise they may be punished" threatened Jérôme Valck.