Ex-Premier League star, 44, accused of ordering striker to be DROPPED from Afcon to stop his goal record being broken

FORMER Premier League hero Samuel Eto’o has been accused of trying to block Vincent Aboubakar from Cameroon’s Afcon squad – allegedly because the striker is closing in on his all-time scoring record.

SunSport understands the Cameroon FA president, 44, is reported to have influenced the shock decision to leave out national icon Aboubakar, who is 12 goals away from becoming the country’s outright top scorer.

Eto’o is the current holder of the record with 56 goals in 118 appearances while relentless Aboubakar is on 45 from 117 games.

Sources claim Eto’o, who recently won re-election as head of Fecafoot, dismissed coach Marc Brys last week replacing him David Pagou and citing issues including alleged “insubordination” and “inciting players” against the federation.

The move triggered a fresh wave of chaos for Cameroon, with on-loan Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana also omitted from the squad named by hastily promoted interim boss David Pagou.

Onana’s absence did not shock insiders, as the stopper is understood to have had a strained relationship with Eto’o in the past.

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But the claim that Aboubakar was left out due to his growing goal tally has stunned supporters.

SunSport has contacted Fecafoot for comment but has not yet received a response.

The off-field turmoil has plunged Cameroon’s AFCON preparations into crisis.

Despite being sacked by the federation, Belgian coach Brys insists he is still in charge, stating that the Sports Ministry, who originally appointed him, have not formally removed him.

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Brys has even submitted his own AFCON squad to the Ministry, including both Onana and Aboubakar, directly contradicting the list issued under Fecafoot.

The bitter power struggle has already damaged Cameroon’s fortunes, with the national side missing out on next year’s World Cup after Cape Verde jumped ahead of them.

Now the same rift threatens to derail their AFCON campaign, with the country effectively operating under two managers at the same time.

SunSport understands the deadline for final AFCON squad submission is Thursday, December 11, leaving Cameroon racing against the clock to sort out the chaos.

At the time of writing, government officials and Fecafoot representatives were locked in meetings attempting to thrash out a solution that protects the national team’s interests.