"Neither Fecafoot nor Samuel Eto'o has denied the existence or authenticity of these transactions, as the documents are damning." That line, from former Fecafoot executive committee member Guibai Gatama, tells you almost everything you need to know about where this story stands.
Samuel Eto'o — three-time Champions League winner, one of Africa's finest ever players, and current president of the Cameroonian Football Federation (Fecafoot) — is at the centre of two separate financial allegations involving international match fees. A $600,000 payment from a June 2023 friendly between Mexico and Cameroon in San Diego, first reported by Sporting Intelligence last year. And now, per The Times, more than $580,000 that Russia paid for an October 2023 friendly against Cameroon — deposited, in two separate payments, directly into Eto'o's personal account with the Qatar National Bank in Doha.
Three years on from those transactions. No accounting records. No banking evidence that the funds were ever transferred to an official Fecafoot account. And from FIFA — nothing.
A complaint filed. No reply received.
Gatama and fellow former Fecafoot executives, who claim Eto'o forced them out of the federation, filed a formal complaint with FIFA's ethics committee over a year ago. They have not received a single follow-up communication. Former vice-president Henry Njalla Quan Junior filed separate complaints in 2024, accusing Eto'o of match-fixing and abuse of power. Same result.
This is where the story gets uglier than a financial dispute. Because Eto'o is not just any federation president. He is one of Gianni Infantino's most vocal and visible allies — and his behaviour since FIFA's Forward Enterprise controversy broke into the open has made that relationship impossible to ignore.
When Infantino's plan to sell stakes in future World Cups to private investors was leaked and met with global backlash — including a formal condemnation from UEFA — Eto'o was the first and loudest voice in his corner. He called for the scrapped proposal to be revived if Infantino wins re-election next March. He told France24 this week that Infantino has become "a brother, a big brother, a friend." He pledged not just his own vote, but a campaign to deliver all 54 CAF presidents behind the FIFA chief.
"When accusations as serious and documented as these result in no visible investigation, while the official concerned continues to be publicly promoted by FIFA, it becomes legitimate to speak of protection," Gatama said.
FIFA's defence doesn't quite land
FIFA's official response is that the president has no influence over its independent judicial bodies, and that "scrutiny is not a license to amplify unsubstantiated allegations." Fine, as far as it goes. But the complainants aren't asking FIFA to pre-judge Eto'o. They're asking for acknowledgement that a complaint was received. For any sign of process. Over a year later, they have neither.
Quan put it plainly: "Is there an element of political reciprocity arising from the support he himself has received from FIFA and Mr. Infantino during difficult periods?" It's a reasonable question. And FIFA's continued silence is not making it easier to dismiss.
More than $1 million in match fees. A personal bank account in Doha. Formal ethics complaints gathering dust. Whatever the explanation turns out to be, the optics for world football's governing body are getting worse with every week that passes without an answer.
