Eto’o Embezzlement Complaint Filed at Cameroon’s Special Criminal Court 

A complaint accusing Cameroon football federation (FECAFOOT) president Samuel Eto’o of embezzling public funds has been filed at the Special Criminal Court in Yaoundé. The Association of Amateur Clubs of Cameroon (ACFAC) brought it. The allegations are unproven, and no court ruling has established that funds were misappropriated or that Eto’o committed any offence. 

ACFAC says Eto’o accepted public money to pay for expenses that organisers of Cameroon’s friendlies against Russia and Mexico in 2023 had already covered. RFI reported that the complaint concerns four friendlies in 2022 and 2023, and that the complainants suspect some costs were paid twice, once by Cameroonian authorities and once by the match organisers. Those claims have not been established. 

The Russia match is a separate strand. ACFAC alleges the Russian Football Union broke its contract with Fecafoot by sending around €567,000 ($654,000) to a bank account that did not belong to the federation. Africa Soccer reported that Eto’o’s representatives had earlier said the money passed through that account because of banking difficulties caused by sanctions on Russia. 

Eto’o has since responded. He criticised RFI’s reporting on Thursday without directly addressing the financial suspicions in the complaint. 

The complaint takes the dispute into a legal process. Until now, the Russia payment was a matter of press reports and opposition within the federation. The question for the court is a narrow one: who paid for the matches, where the money went, and whether any costs were paid twice. Eto’o’s public comments so far have not answered that. 

The next step depends on the Special Criminal Court’s decision on whether to open an investigation. ACFAC has also said it plans a separate legal complaint in Russia against the Russian Football Union. Watch for a statement from Fecafoot or Eto’o that addresses the match payments directly, and any ruling from the court.