Samuel Eto’o faces embezzlement allegations related to Cameroon FA presidency

Samuel Eto’o, the president of the Cameroon Football Federation (FECAFOOT), is facing allegations of embezzlement concerning the federation's finances during his presidency. The former Chelsea and Barcelona striker, who has 56 goals in 118 appearances for Cameroon, is accused by former FECAFOOT executives of redirecting over 567,000 euros ($665,000) in appearance fees intended for the federation into his personal bank account. These allegations were reported by The Times newspaper in London. Al Jazeera sought a comment from FECAFOOT but did not receive a response. Eto’o is also a member of the executive board of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), and Al Jazeera reached out to CAF for comments but received no reply. Eto’o has denied all allegations against him. The alleged embezzlement is connected to payments made by Russia for a friendly match against Cameroon in 2023. According to The Times, documents indicate that two payments were requested to be deposited into an account held by Eto’o at Qatar National Bank in Doha, Qatar. Former FECAFOOT executives claim they were ousted from the federation under Eto’o's leadership and reported their complaints to FIFA’s ethics committee over a year ago, but have not received any substantial updates on the investigations. Al Jazeera has also contacted FIFA for a response. These allegations add to a series of controversies involving Eto’o, including a four-match suspension by CAF in January for alleged misconduct during a loss to Morocco at the Africa Cup of Nations, which FECAFOOT stated lacked explicit justification. Eto’o was previously banned from attending national team matches for six months due to violations of FIFA disciplinary regulations during the 2020 Under-20 Women’s World Cup, with details of the incidents not disclosed. Additionally, Eto’o was filmed attacking a man after a heated exchange outside a stadium during the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar, for which he later apologized.