Arsenal’s Alex Song to appeal Cameroon FA ruling

Alex Song, Arsenal (Getty Images)

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Arsenal‘s Alex Song has instructed his lawyer to file an appeal against the Cameroon Football Federation (Fecafoot) disciplinary committee’s recent decision that fined him 1 million francs CFA (£1,340) following a row with captain Samuel Eto’o ahead of the Afcon qualifier against Senegal.

Speaking to Xinhua on Tuesday in Yaounde, Song’s lawyer Sebastien Song argued that his client’s refusal to take a handshake from Eto’o was not an infraction of the Fecafoot rules.

“The fact that you refuse to shake hands with a team-mate does not constitute a breach of the body’s rules and regulations,” the lawyer said. “The incident took place in a private gathering and can’t be blamed on my client. More to that, the coach who was present at the scene did to include the incident in his report to the FA because he felt Alex didn’t break any rules.”

The Arsenal midfielder had been summoned for an “attitude of contempt” towards Eto’o, after he avoided the Inter forward’s handshake in a Yaounde hotel the group was staying at ahead of the Senegal match.

However, the fine was converted to a three-day community service of sporting interest where Song will be asked to carry out training sessions with youths from a football academy to be designated by the Fecafoot, but of which the player’s lawyer vows to contest.

“It is a stupefying verdict that we’ll not sit back and accept. It is totally unjust and we’ll use all available means to appeal and overturn it,” the lawyer said.

Eto’o was cleared while Tottenham’s Benoit Assou-Ekotto was reprimanded for an unauthorised absence in camp ahead of an important match.