Topics: Samuel Etoo, Cameroon, Premier League, Chelsea, Newcastle United
A former Premier League star and two-time Champions League winner has been handed a five-year ban from football.
Ex-Newcastle United and Chelsea midfielder Geremi has been banned from all football activity for five years due to an incident that happened during the 2023 African Cup of Nations.
The Cameroonian won the Champions League twice with Real Madrid in 2000 and 2002 before moving to Chelsea, where also enjoyed huge success, winning the Premier League twice with Jose Mourinho.
In total, Geremi made 109 appearances for Chelsea in all competitions before joining the Magpies in July 2007, where he was named captain by then manager Sam Allardyce.
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Although Michael Owen later took on the role of captain, Geremi stayed at Newcastle for two and a half seasons, making 54 appearances before leaving until 2010.
Geremi then went on to play for Turkish club Ankaragucu and Greek side AE Larisa before hanging up the boots as a player in 2011, while remaining involved with the National Union of Footballers of Cameroon.
However, after a clash with Barcelona football legend and Cameroon FA president Samuel Eto’o, Geremi now faces a lengthy ban from all football activity.
During Cameroon's clash with Gambia at the 2023 African Cup of Nations, it was reported that Geremi was involved in a heated exchange with a member of Eto'o's staff, which eventually escalated to the pair being forcibly separated
Reports in Cameroon state that Geremi was later removed from the stadium by security officials, and as a result, the Camerronian FA have decided to hand him a five-year ban.
"We declare Geremi Sorel Njitap, the president of Synafoc, guilty of breaking the behaviour rules of our code of ethics," a statement read, via the Daily Mail.
"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 bee handed a two-year ban and a £6,500 fine over the incident.
It is believed that the former Premier League star will appeal the decision in the coming days, and he is even willing to escalate it to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) should it be necessary.
