Money laundering suspicion and protection by Gianni Infantino? Embezzlement allegations rock Cameroon legend Samuel Eto'o
Samuel Eto'o is alleged to have diverted around €568,000 of federation funds from Russia into his private account. That is reported by The Times.
Documents and contracts seen by the newspaper show two payment requests worth around EUR455,000 and EUR113,000. The money was reportedly paid straight into the personal account of the 45-year-old official at Qatar National Bank in Doha. It came from the appearance fee for a friendly between the Russian national team and Cameroon, played in Moscow in October 2023.
Russia were thrown out of all official FIFA and UEFA tournaments after the start of the war in Ukraine, so the match carried significant political weight. Cameroon were one of the few more prominent nations willing to face the host nation's selection at all.
Several former board members of the Cameroonian football association Fecafoot, who say Eto'o deliberately pushed them out of office, made serious allegations. They claimed the whereabouts of the money remained unclear. More than a year ago, they formally asked the world governing body's ethics committee to investigate the matter, but they have still received no response.
Is Samuel Eto'o being protected by Gianni Infantino?
That silence has fuelled suspicion inside the Cameroonian association that the former professional could be being protected by FIFA president Gianni Infantino. Eto'o has long been seen as one of the Swiss official's most outspoken supporters. Most recently, the former world-class striker's name appeared in FIFA's legal action against UEFA, where he is listed by name as a backer of Infantino's failed plan to sell stakes in World Cups to private investors.
FIFA firmly rejected any influence and stressed the independence of the internal investigators: "The FIFA president has no influence over FIFA's independent bodies. FIFA welcomes legitimate scrutiny. However, such scrutiny is not a licence to spread unfounded allegations against the FIFA president."
On the ground, critics remain unconvinced. Journalist Guibai Gatama, who was part of the Fecafoot leadership between 2021 and 2022 and was later expelled, said: "To my knowledge, there are no accounting or banking documents showing that the funds transferred to Samuel Eto’o’s private account in Qatar were then transferred to an official Fecafoot account or recorded in its books." He added: "Those involved in Cameroonian football interpret FIFA’s silence as political and institutional support for Samuel Eto'o."
Which clubs did Samuel Eto'o play for?
The accused, who denies the allegation of embezzlement, does not try to hide his close ties to the FIFA chief. In an interview with France 24, Eto'o recently enthused: "In my heart, President Gianni has become far more than someone from the world of football - a brother, a big brother, a friend, someone whose rise we have followed, someone we have supported, with whom we have built things together that serve football."
Eto'o, a four-time African Footballer of the Year, played for Real Madrid, Chelsea and Everton during his career, among others. He enjoyed his brightest spell at Barcelona, where he formed a formidable front three alongside Lionel Messi and Thierry Henry, and also at Inter Milan. He won two Champions League titles and numerous domestic league championships.
