Plagued by lawsuits and scandals, has CAF President Eto'o’s reputation been completely destroyed?

Written by Han Bing For Eto'o, the Cameroon Football Federation president entangled in constant lawsuits over recent years, this time he might truly face imprisonment. On August 26, the Cameroon Players' Union, represented by lawyer Enshale, filed complaints with the Cameroon Ministry of Sports, CAF, and FIFA, accusing Eto'o of corruption, conflicts of interest, embezzlement, match-fixing, interference in national team coaching affairs, election manipulation, suppression of opposition, and other serious charges during his tenure. They demanded that the Cameroon Football Federation and CAF Executive Committee impose a "preventive suspension" on Eto'o and launch a full investigation. The allegations involve election irregularities within the Cameroon Football Federation, which could lead to Cameroon being banned from competitions, jeopardizing the national team's World Cup qualifying prospects.

Since assuming the presidency of the Cameroon Football Federation in December 2021, Eto'o has faced continuous legal troubles but has always managed to escape unscathed.

In June 2022, Eto'o was implicated in a tax evasion case during his time playing in La Liga, which ended with a plea agreement with the Spanish tax authorities. Eto'o was sentenced to 22 months probation and fined $1.7 million. At that time, questions arose in the Cameroonian football community because the federation's statutes state that officials with probation longer than six months must resign, yet Eto'o, with a 22-month probation, remained firmly in office.

In May 2023, Eto'o openly violated FIFA’s ethical code by becoming the brand ambassador for the betting company 1XBet. FIFA regulations prohibit officials at all levels under its jurisdiction from participating directly or indirectly in gambling activities, with violations punishable by up to three years suspension. In July 2024, CAF fined Eto'o $200,000, but the sanction was overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

In September 2024, FIFA imposed a nine-month suspension on Eto'o due to his aggressive behavior at the U20 Women's World Cup.

During the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations and subsequent World Cup qualifiers, Eto'o directly interfered in national team matters, including unilaterally directing training, deciding starting lineups, tactics, and match strategies. This caused then-coach Rigobert Song and some coaching staff to resign. Furthermore, Eto'o had heated conflicts with the current Belgian coach Blaise, threatening to dismiss him despite Blaise having been appointed by the Cameroon Ministry of Sports just two months earlier. Eto'o also appointed new coaching staff without Blaise’s consent and barred Blaise’s assistant M’Nonga from the bench. The Cameroon Football Federation still owes Blaise salary payments, which Eto'o has repeatedly promised but never delivered.

Former vice president of the Cameroon Football Federation, Ngala Kooan, became a victim of Eto'o’s suppression of dissent. Kooan, who chaired the federation’s marketing, media, and promotion committee, was denied access to key financial documents including sponsorship contracts. After sending a 19-page letter to Eto'o expressing concerns about poor federation management, Eto'o hired online trolls for $1,500 to smear him and, in July 2023, banned Kooan for 10 years and fined him $15,000. Similarly, another federation executive opposing Eto'o, Gatama, was also suspended for 10 years. Eto'o is also accused of manipulating federation statutes to block independent candidates from running in federation presidential elections.

After his punishment, Kooan publicly released WhatsApp messages, emails, and audio recordings proving that in 2023 Eto'o directed referees to fix matches, favoring teams invested in by his close friend Enquaine, such as Kumba City reaching the third-tier league finals and helping Victoria United replace the second-placed team in the second division to enter Cameroon’s top league. In the early 2024 Africa Cup, Victoria United’s 17-year-old player Douala was surprisingly included in the squad, seen as a gesture to Eto'o’s ally. In September 2023, Cameroonian police investigated Eto'o for "abuse of power and corruption," but no further action followed.

Eto'o’s most damaging scandal likely involves embezzling $1.5 million in public funds from three friendly matches Cameroon played against South Korea (September 2022), Mexico (June 2023), and Russia (October 2023). Notably, on June 10, 2023, during the Cameroon vs. Mexico friendly in San Diego, California, the $600,000 revenue due to the Cameroon Football Federation was instead transferred to Eto'o’s personal account. The FBI has jurisdiction over this case and has intervened. Lawyer Enshale hopes to replicate the massive corruption crackdown that once swept FIFA, bringing Eto'o down like Sepp Blatter.

Eto'o’s troubles extend beyond his official duties, with numerous personal scandals as well. In 2023 and 2024, he failed to pay child support for two illegitimate daughters in Spain and Italy, attracting widespread attention.

As the French newspaper L'Équipe put it, this is a "siege" by the entire football world against Eto'o. Once a legendary African football superstar, he had planned to run for re-election as Cameroon Football Federation president at the end of the year, but now he is likely to follow in Blatter’s footsteps, becoming a cautionary tale for Cameroon and African football.