Samuel Eto’o €567,000 scandal implicates FIFA president Gianni Infantino
Fresh allegations surrounding Samuel Eto’o’s handling of money from a Russia-Cameroon friendly have added another layer of pressure on FIFA and president Gianni Infantino.
Fresh questions over Eto’o and FIFAFormer Barcelona and Cameroon star Samuel Eto’o has become the centre of a fresh controversy that is putting FIFA’s governance under renewed scrutiny, with allegations surrounding more than €500,000 reportedly paid by Russia in connection with a 2023 friendly against Cameroon.
Documents reviewed by The Times reportedly indicate that payments totalling about €567,000 were directed to an account linked to Eto’o in Qatar, while former officials of the Cameroonian Football Federation claim they have been unable to establish what happened to the money afterwards.
The allegations have attracted particular attention because of Eto’o’s close relationship with FIFA president Gianni Infantino, whom the former striker has publicly supported during a difficult period for the FIFA chief.
Infantino faces growing scrutinyThe latest controversy comes at a sensitive moment for Infantino, whose leadership has already faced criticism over FIFA’s abandoned plan to sell a stake in its commercial assets and growing concerns about transparency.
France has now withdrawn its support for his re-election, while Belgium has also demanded answers over the handling of the Folarin Balogun disciplinary case.
FIFA, however, has rejected suggestions that Infantino can influence its judicial bodies, insisting that its ethics and disciplinary structures operate independently.
Eto’o and the Cameroonian federation have yet to publicly provide a detailed response to the latest allegations, meaning the controversy is likely to remain a major talking point as pressure on FIFA’s leadership continues to grow.
