Eto'o granted two more games in Spain before African Nations
Barcelona forward Samuel Eto'o has been afforded permission to remain in Spain for two more games in order to regain his match fitness rather than fly immediately to Ghana to take part in the African Nations Cup.
The Cameroonian star will then meet up with his team-mates, but the president of the Cameroon Football Federation (CFF), Mohammed Iya, accepted to Barca manager Frank Rijkaard's written request to retain the player.
Iya said: "There is no problem. The coach (Otto Pfister) has spoken with the player and accepts that he plays this weekend and then joins the squad, having played two more games with Barcelona.
Iya convinced German coach Pfister that the move would help Eto'o improve his physical fitness after having missed the majority of the season so far with injury.
The news was pleasing for Rijkaard, who commented: "The important thing for Samuel is to play and the federation and their coach have seen that that is best for them and for us."
As a result Eto'o has been included in Barca's squad to play Sevilla in the first leg of their King's Cup last-16 tie on Wednesday. The 26-year-old is also expected to feature in their match at Camp Nou in the La Liga game against Real Murcia before jetting to Ghana.
Four-times Nations Cup winners Cameroon are in Group C with Egypt, Sudan and Zambia. The Indomitable Lions play their first game against Egypt on Jan. 22.
Comments
Add a comment
Be the first to comment on this
If you are a Gambling.com member, please login at the top left of this page.
If you are not a Gambling.com member, please complete our sign up form—membership is free and it takes just a minute or two to sign up.