FIFA faces fresh accusations over Samuel Eto'o investigation

FIFA is facing renewed criticism for its silence regarding allegations against Samuel Eto'o, the president of the Cameroonian Football Federation. Gibril Gatama, a former member of the federation's executive committee, told The Times that there is no accounting evidence showing that funds transferred to Eto'o's personal account in Qatar were ever officially recorded or moved into the federation's accounts.

According to Gatama, the federation's statutes require all funds to be held in official accounts bearing the federation's name, rather than in personal accounts. He stated that football stakeholders in Cameroon interpret FIFA's current lack of action as a form of political and institutional protection for Eto'o, who is widely viewed as a close ally of FIFA president Gianni Infantino.

To my knowledge, there is no accounting or banking evidence proving that the funds transferred to Samuel Eto'o's personal account in Qatar were subsequently transferred to an official account of the Cameroonian Football Federation or recorded in its accounting ledgers. Gibril Gatama

Gatama’s formal complaint follows a previous one submitted in 2024 by Henri Njalla Quan Junior, a former vice-president of the Cameroonian federation, who accused Eto'o of power abuse and involvement in match-fixing.

In a statement regarding the allegations, a FIFA spokesperson clarified that the organization's judicial bodies operate independently and that Gianni Infantino holds no influence over them. FIFA stated that it welcomes legitimate scrutiny but warned that such scrutiny does not grant a license to amplify unproven allegations against the FIFA president.