Samuel Eto’o: Cameroon Boss Accused of Match Fixing, Bribery After AFCON 2023 Exit

• Samuel Eto'o's reign as head of Cameroon's football federation, FECAFOOT, has faced a couple of issues
• Eto'o has been accused of, among other things, match-fixing and inciting violence on other officials
• The Rigobert Song-coached Cameroon were knocked out of AFCON 2023 in the round of 16 by Nigeria

That Samuel Eto'o is one of the greatest players Africa has ever produced will never be in doubt. From winning Champions League titles with two different teams to being crowned Africa's Player of the Year a record four times, he was the best during his playing days.

He transitioned into football administration in 2021, promising to revolutionise football in Cameroon after being elected the national federation president.

But three years later, there is little to nothing to show for it as claims of abuse of power, corruption, bribery and match-fixing continue to pile up against the former Barcelona man.

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The Athletic has released an expose on a series of allegations that the FECAFOOT President has been accused of since he assumed control of football in Cameroon.

Eto'o's former vice president at FECAFOOT, Henry Njalla Quan Junior, sent a dossier to the FIFA Ethics Committee after falling out with the football legend on a number of issues. Africa's football body, CAF, has also confirmed that investigations are ongoing against Eto'o but called for the presumption of innocence until proven otherwise.

Njalla Quan Junior claims that his run-in with Eto'o began when he called for transparency at the federation. The President is alleged to have organised a football match involving a team owned by Njalla Quan Junior, NQSA, to be fixed.

Eto'o allegedly involved in match-fixing

NQSA played Kumba City over a two-legged tie. At half-time in the first leg, the dossier claims that Eto'o himself spoke to the match officials with the phone call on loudspeaker to issue 'instructions.'

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The call is said to have been made by Eto'o's close friend, Valentine Nkwain. In the second leg of the encounter, NQSA received five red cards and conceded two penalties. The first penalty was saved, but a retake was ordered, with the referee ruling there was encroachment.

Kumba City won the tie 3-1.

Eto'o is also said to have promised Nkwain that his team, Victoria United, will be promoted to the top division. The supposed promise came to pass with Victoria United turning around their season to win 11 of their last 17 games and earn promotion to the top flight.

"I was talking to a friend who invests in football and wants to make his club one of the best in Cameroon. I just reassured him by saying that I would have done everything possible to avoid any refereeing errors against him," Eto'o told Gazzetta Dellello Sport via the Guardian when confronted with these allegations.

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Cameroon at AFCON 2023

Other claims levelled against the 42-year-old include bribery, intimidation and inciting violence. This comes at a time when the performance of Indomitable Lions has dipped significantly.

The five-time champions were knocked out by Nigeria in the round of 16 after putting up a lethargic performance in Ivory Coast. Rigobert Song's side sneaked through to the knockout stage after drawing with a 10-man Guinea, getting thrashed by Senegal and surviving against Gambia.

There have also been reports of Eto'o influencing Song's decisions with a burst up with goalkeeper Andre Onana, as documented by the media.

Onana heads back to England

Sports Brief had earlier reported that Onana took a private jet back to England following Cameroon's elimination from AFCON 2023.

The Manchester United goalkeeper only played one game, the 3-1 defeat to Senegal, before they were beaten by Nigeria in the first knock-out round.