Samuel Eto’o answers allegations over Cameroon match funds

Samuel Eto’o has responded publicly to allegations surrounding money linked to a Cameroon friendly, accusing his critics of targeting him after he defended African football. The former Cameroon captain said the timing and similarity of the attacks were deliberate, while insisting that African football should be able to make its own decisions.

Former officials of the Cameroon Football Federation have filed a complaint with FIFA’s ethics commission over €567,570 connected to the October 2023 friendly against Russia. The amount was reportedly split into payments of €455,056 and €112,514, sent to a personal account held by Fecafoot president Eto’o at Qatar National Bank in Doha.

The complainants say they have not seen accounting records proving that the money was later transferred to Fecafoot accounts. They have also questioned why the ethics commission has not communicated with them more than a year after the complaint was submitted, pointing to Eto’o’s relationship with FIFA president Gianni Infantino.

FIFA has said Infantino cannot influence its judicial bodies, which it describes as independent. Eto’o had not initially responded when the allegations emerged, but later used Facebook to reject what he portrayed as coordinated criticism following his recent defence of the continent’s football interests. The complaint and the payment allegations remain at the centre of the dispute.