Samuel Eto'o accused over €500,000 Russia payment to personal bank account

Cameroon Football Federation (FECAFOOT) president Samuel Eto'o has been accused of mishandling more than €500,000 (£487,000) paid for an international friendly against Russia after documents reportedly showed the money was sent to his personal bank account in Qatar.

The allegations relate to a payment of €567,570 made for Cameroon's friendly in Moscow in October 2023, although there has been no finding that the former Barcelona and Inter Milan striker misappropriated the funds.

According to documents reviewed by The Times, the Russian Football Union was instructed to split the payment into two transfers - €455,056 and €112,514 - into an account held by Eto'o with Qatar National Bank in Doha.

The claims have intensified scrutiny of FECAFOOT's financial governance under Eto'o, who has led the federation since 2021.

• Questions over missing accounting trail

Former FECAFOOT executives have reportedly lodged complaints with Fifa's ethics committee, saying they have been unable to establish what happened to the money after it entered Eto'o's personal account.

Guibai Gatama, a former executive committee member, said there was no banking or accounting evidence showing the funds were later transferred into an official FECAFOOT account or properly recorded in the federation's financial statements.

Among the documents cited are the contract for the Russia-Cameroon friendly and correspondence from FECAFOOT officials requesting that the Russian payment be sent to Eto'o's account.

A letter dated 2 October 2023, signed by then national-team coordinator Benoît Angbwa, reportedly instructed Russia to pay €455,056 - representing 80% of the participation fee - into Eto'o's private account.

The central issue is whether there was a legitimate reason for using the personal account and, if so, whether the full amount was subsequently transferred to FECAFOOT and properly accounted for.

• Alternative explanation disputed

Reports in Cameroon have previously suggested that sanctions affecting Russian financial transactions prompted the arrangement.

According to that explanation, FECAFOOT lacked a suitable foreign-currency account outside Cameroon, making the Qatar account a practical solution for receiving the payment.

Former federation officials have challenged that account, however, and are calling for a full explanation of how the money was handled.

• Fifa relationship under spotlight

The allegations come as Eto'o's relationship with Fifa president Gianni Infantino has also attracted attention.

Last week, Eto'o was named in a Fifa legal filing in the United States relating to the abandoned FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal, which sought private investment in commercial interests linked to the World Cup.

The project was ultimately dropped after opposition from Uefa and other football bodies.

Uefa has accused Fifa of attempting to commercialise interests in the governing body's most valuable assets, an allegation Fifa rejects, describing the legal action as a "smear campaign".

Some former FECAFOOT officials have questioned whether Eto'o's relationship with Fifa's leadership has influenced the handling of complaints over the Russia payment.

Fifa has denied any suggestion that Infantino can influence its judicial bodies, insisting its ethics and disciplinary structures operate independently.

• No finding of wrongdoing

The allegations do not amount to a finding that Eto'o misused the money.

According to The Times, neither Eto'o nor FECAFOOT responded to requests for comment before publication.

Reports in Cameroon have also disputed parts of the allegations, claiming the money was ultimately transferred to FECAFOOT and entered into the federation's accounts.

The dispute therefore centres on the destination and accounting of the payment rather than an established finding of theft or embezzlement.

• Previous sanctions

Eto'o has faced disciplinary action from both the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and Fifa since becoming FECAFOOT president.

In July 2024, CAF fined him $200,000 after ruling that a paid brand ambassador agreement with a betting company breached its ethical principles, although it found insufficient evidence to uphold allegations of match manipulation.

Fifa later banned him for six months from attending matches involving Cameroon's representative teams over misconduct during a Women's Under-20 World Cup match between Brazil and Cameroon.

More recently, CAF handed Eto'o a four-match stadium ban and fined him $20,000 following misconduct during Cameroon's Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final against Morocco.

One of Africa's most decorated footballers, Eto'o remains among the continent's most influential administrators.

The latest allegations are likely to increase pressure on FECAFOOT to demonstrate whether the €567,570 paid into his Qatar account was ultimately transferred to the federation and properly recorded in its financial records.