Free kick for justice.

• Author: Zirin, Dave
• Position: Edge of Sports

Can a soccer star singlehandedly start another Arab Spring?

The Cameroon Football Federation thinks so, and it has turned its fears of revolution onto the Cameroonian national soccer team captain and icon Samuel Eto'o. Eto'o is considered one of the five best players on Earth, scoring more than 100 goals in five seasons for the storied FC Barcelona franchise. He is now the highest-paid player in the world, having switched over to the Russian team Anzhi Makhachkala. But Eto'o still takes his duties as Cameroon's national captain very seriously. For Cameroonian soccer officials, perhaps too seriously.

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In December, Eto'o was banned for fifteen games for attempting to, in the words of the Cameroon Football Federation, foment his teammates into an "Arab Spring revolution." His suspension has since been reduced to a four-game, eight-month sentence. The official charge levied by the federation was "incitement to revolt" after Eto'o organized players to boycott a friendly match in Algeria. There were no plans to actually pay the players for the match, and Eto'o and his teammates used the only power they had. They refused to play. But it seems that Eto'o's real offense was not backing down when attending a disciplinary hearing on December 12.

There, Eto'o told the federation board that "incompetence, dishonesty, and injustice" were the hallmarks of soccer managers in Cameroon. He said the players were treated like kids, and their refusal to play against Algeria was a sign of protest against this state of affairs.

According to the Cameroon Football Federation Disciplinary Council (think Roger Goodell with more democracy), these concerns constituted a seditious act. But Eto'o has issued a series of demands he has organized his team to back and support. These demands include:

--Being paid for "friendlies" (matches that don't have actual bearing on the standings)

--Receiving first class flight seats (for athletes nursing injuries legroom is more necessity than luxury)

--Gaining access to the federation's contracts with its main sponsors (seeing the books...