Cameroon FA President Samuel Eto'o Faces Embezzlement Allegations Over Appearance Fees

Cameroonian Football Federation President Samuel Eto'o, renowned for his stellar career as a striker for Barcelona and Chelsea, is currently facing serious embezzlement allegations. Former executives of the Federation Camerounaise de Football (FECAFOOT) have accused the 45-year-old—who scored 56 goals in 118 appearances for Cameroon—of redirecting more than 567,000 euros ($665,000) in appearance fees meant for the federation directly into his personal bank account. These allegations were initially published in The Times newspaper in London.

According to The Times, files reviewed by the newspaper indicate that two payments from Russia for a friendly international against Cameroon in 2023 were requested to be paid into an account held by Eto'o with the Qatar National Bank in Doha, Qatar. Al Jazeera attempted to reach FECAFOOT for comment but received no response. Eto'o, who also serves as an executive board member of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), similarly did not prompt a reply from the continental governing body. It is understood that Eto'o strongly denies all allegations made against him.

The former FECAFOOT executives making the claims allege they were forced out of the federation under Eto'o's leadership. They informed The Times that complaints were submitted to FIFA's ethics committee over a year ago, though they have yet to receive any substantive updates regarding the ongoing investigations. Al Jazeera has reached out to FIFA for a response.

These accusations add to a growing list of controversies surrounding Eto'o. In January, he faced a suspension by CAF for four national team games due to alleged misbehaviour during his team's loss to Morocco at the Africa Cup of Nations, a penalty FECAFOOT claimed lacked explicit justification. Additionally, Eto'o was banned from attending national team matches for six months for violating FIFA disciplinary regulations during the 2020 Under-20 Women's World Cup, following rulings of offensive behaviour, fair play violations, and misconduct involving officials during Cameroon's defeat by Brazil. Eto'o was also previously filmed attacking a man outside a stadium during the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar, an incident for which he later issued an apology.