CAS KO SYNAFOC’s quest to remain relevant in FECAFOOT circles

By Angu Lesley

Football Writer,kick442.con-Cameroon

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has rejected an appeal filed by the Syndicat National des Footballeurs Camerounais (SYNAFOC) in its dispute with the Fédération Camerounaise de Football (FECAFOOT), according to a statement released by the football governing body on Monday.

In a press communiqué issued by Isaac Noe on Monday March 9, FECAFOOT said the ruling upholds earlier decisions taken by its executive bodies regarding the status of the players’ union.

The appeal had sought to challenge a prior decision by the Conciliation and Arbitration Chamber of the Comité National Olympique et Sportif du Cameroun (CNOSC), which had already dismissed SYNAFOC’s complaint against resolutions adopted during FECAFOOT’s Executive Committee and General Assembly meetings held on 15 and 16 November 2024.

Those resolutions withdrew the recognition previously granted to SYNAFOC as the representative union of footballers in Cameroon and instead recognised the Association Nationale des Footballeurs Camerounais (ANFC) in that role.

Genesis of the dispute

The roots of the conflict date back to November 2024, when FECAFOOT’s Executive Committee and later its General Assembly voted to remove SYNAFOC from the federation’s structures, effectively stripping the union of its seats within the FECAFOOT General Assembly. 

The federation simultaneously recognised the ANFC, a newer organisation led by former Indomitable Lions defender Lucien Mettomo, as the official body representing footballers in Cameroon. 

SYNAFOC, founded in 1996 and led by former Cameroon international Geremi Njitap, strongly opposed the move, describing it as unjustified and aimed at sidelining an organisation that had long defended players’ rights and welfare. 

Relations between the union and the federation had already been tense. SYNAFOC had frequently criticised FECAFOOT over issues such as player transfers, contractual disputes, league management, and the protection of players’ working conditions. 

After the federation withdrew its recognition, SYNAFOC initiated a series of legal challenges. The union first appealed internally within FECAFOOT before taking the matter to the Chamber of Conciliation and Arbitration of the CNOSC, seeking the annulment of the federation’s resolutions. 

However, the arbitration chamber ruled in favour of FECAFOOT in April 2025, prompting SYNAFOC to escalate the matter to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, the highest international authority for sports disputes. 

CAS decision closes the case

According to FECAFOOT, the decision by CAS now confirms the “regularity and legality” of the measures taken by the federation’s competent bodies.

The federation said it has taken note of the ruling, which it described as bringing the procedure to a definitive close.

FECAFOOT added that it remains committed to continuing reforms aimed at structuring and modernising Cameroonian football while respecting the governing statutes.

In its statement, the federation also called on stakeholders across the national football ecosystem to remain united in the interest of the sport in Cameroon.