Samuel Eto’o accused of mishandling €567,570 Russia payment to personal Qatar account

Cameroon Football Association president Samuel Eto’o has been accused of mishandling more than €500,000 paid by Russia for an international friendly, with documents reportedly showing that the money was directed to his personal bank account in Qatar.

The payment, totalling €567,570 (£487,000), was made in connection with Cameroon’s friendly against Russia in Moscow in October 2023.

Documents reviewed by The Times reportedly show that the Russian Football Union was instructed to make two payments of €455,056 and €112,514 into an account held by Eto’o with Qatar National Bank in Doha.

The allegations have prompted renewed questions about the governance of the Cameroon FA, known as FECAFOOT, and the handling of federation funds under Eto’o, who has served as its president since 2021.

Former FECAFOOT executives have reportedly complained to Fifa’s ethics committee, alleging that they have been unable to establish what happened to the money after it was paid into Eto’o’s personal account.

Guibai Gatama, a former member of FECAFOOT’s executive committee, said there was no accounting or banking evidence showing that the funds were subsequently transferred to an official federation account or properly recorded in FECAFOOT’s financial records.

The documents cited in the allegations include the contract for the Russia-Cameroon friendly and correspondence from FECAFOOT officials requesting that the Russian payment be made to an account belonging to Eto’o.

A 2 October 2023 letter signed by then FECAFOOT national-team coordinator Benoît Angbwa reportedly requested payment of €455,056, representing 80% of the participation fee, into Eto’o’s private Qatar account.

The allegations centre on whether there was a legitimate reason for using Eto’o’s personal account and, if so, whether the entire amount was subsequently transferred to FECAFOOT and accounted for.

Reports from Cameroon have previously cited sanctions imposed on Russian financial transactions as a possible explanation for the arrangement. One account said FECAFOOT did not have a suitable foreign-currency account outside Cameroon and that the payment route through Qatar was used because of difficulties making international payments involving Russia.

However, former federation officials have questioned that explanation and called for the transactions to be fully accounted for.

Eto’o’s Fifa links under scrutiny

The latest allegations come at a sensitive time for Eto’o because of his close relationship with Fifa president Gianni Infantino.

Eto’o was cited in a Fifa legal filing in the United States last week in connection with the controversial Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal, which sought to attract private investment into commercial interests linked to the World Cup.

The plan, which was ultimately abandoned after opposition from Uefa and other football bodies, had been projected to raise billions of dollars.

Fifa’s legal response to Uefa’s attempts to obtain documents in US courts cited support for the initiative from several football figures, including Eto’o.

Uefa has accused Infantino and those around him of attempting to commercialise or sell interests in Fifa’s most valuable assets, while Fifa has rejected those claims and described Uefa’s legal campaign as a “smear campaign”.

Eto’o’s backing of the proposal has therefore become part of the wider debate over his relationship with the Fifa leadership.

Former FECAFOOT officials have questioned whether that relationship could explain the lack of a public outcome from complaints made to Fifa’s ethics committee over the Russia payment.

Fifa, however, has rejected any suggestion that Infantino can influence its judicial bodies, saying its ethics and disciplinary structures are independent.

No finding of wrongdoing over Russia payment

The allegations over the Russia payment do not amount to a finding that Eto’o misappropriated the money.

Eto’o and FECAFOOT had not responded to The Times‘ request for comment at the time of publication, according to the report.

The claims have also been contested in Cameroon, where reports have cited an alternative explanation that the funds were eventually transferred to FECAFOOT and accounted for.

The issue is therefore centred on the destination and accounting of the payment, rather than an established finding of theft or embezzlement.

The allegations nonetheless add to a series of controversies surrounding Eto’o since he became FECAFOOT president.

Previous disciplinary action

Eto’o has previously faced disciplinary proceedings from both the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and Fifa.

In July 2024, CAF’s disciplinary board found that he had seriously violated its principles of ethics, integrity and sportsmanship over a paid brand ambassador agreement with a betting company. He was fined $200,000, although the same panel said there was insufficient evidence to find him guilty of alleged match manipulation.

Fifa subsequently imposed a six-month ban on Eto’o from attending matches involving Cameroon’s representative teams after finding him guilty of breaches relating to offensive behaviour and misconduct during a Women’s Under-20 World Cup match between Brazil and Cameroon.

More recently, CAF imposed another four-match stadium ban and a $20,000 fine on Eto’o following misconduct during Cameroon’s 2025 Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final against Morocco.

Eto’o, one of Africa’s most decorated former footballers, remains one of the continent’s most influential football administrators.

The latest allegations over the €567,570 Russia payment are likely to increase scrutiny of his leadership of FECAFOOT, particularly over financial transparency and the management of federation funds.

For now, the central question remains whether the money paid into Eto’o’s personal Qatar account was subsequently transferred to FECAFOOT and properly recorded in its accounts.