According to The Times, Cameroonian football legend Samuel Eto’o, who previously played for major clubs including Barcelona and Chelsea, has recently become embroiled in a serious financial scandal. Eto’o, who currently serves as president of the Cameroonian Football Federation (FECAFOOT), has been accused of abusing his position to transfer more than €500,000 in funds that were allegedly owed to the federation into a personal bank account.

Contracts and invoices obtained by *The Times* reportedly show that the money originated from a friendly match between Russia and Cameroon held in Moscow in October 2023. According to the report, the Russian side made two payments of €455,000 and €112,000 respectively. However, instead of being deposited into FECAFOOT’s official account, the money was allegedly directed to a private account held by Eto’o at Qatar National Bank.

Former FECAFOOT executive Guibai Gatama confirmed that the funds are currently “unaccounted for.” In an interview, he said there are no accounting records or bank documents showing that the money was subsequently transferred back to the federation’s official account. Neither Eto’o nor FECAFOOT has disputed the authenticity of the transactions.

The case has attracted additional attention because of Eto’o’s close relationship with FIFA president Gianni Infantino. Eto’o has publicly referred to Infantino as his “brother” and has supported him on several controversial projects, including Infantino’s previous proposal involving the sale of World Cup shares.

More than a year ago, several former FECAFOOT officials who had been pushed out of the federation reportedly filed complaints against Eto’o with FIFA’s Ethics Committee. However, the complaints have so far failed to produce any apparent progress. This has led to speculation over whether the investigation has stalled because Eto’o has Infantino as a powerful ally allegedly protecting him behind the scenes.

Eto’o currently serves not only as president of the Cameroonian Football Federation but also as a member of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Executive Committee.