According to reports, Samuel Eto’o, a former player for Barcelona, is the subject of a match-fixing investigation by Cameroonian authorities.
After a tape of him reportedly speaking to Victoria United president Valentine Nkwain was made public, the 42-year-old, who also played for Inter Milan, Chelsea, and Everton, was charged with aiding in match-fixing in Cameroon’s second division.
According to Camfoot, Eto’o, who has been the president of the Cameroonian Football Federation (Fecafoot) since December 2021, allegedly made a commitment to help Victoria United, a team in the second division, by influencing games.
These allegations have been refuted by Eto’o and Nkwain, and Victoria United ultimately received a promotion.
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The police in Cameroon have reportedly launched an inquiry into alleged “abuse of authority and corruption,” according to a letter that The Guardian claims to have received.
According to reports, they have spoken with a number of significant witnesses and looked into more general allegations of corruption at Fecafoot while Eto was serving in the position.
They claim that up to 40 persons may be involved in the investigation.
Eto’o allegedly told Nkwain in the recording: “There are things we can do, but you have to be very discreet, brother.
“Don’t worry, we’ll give you your three points and we will suspend the referee. Opopo [Victoria’s nickname] must go up to the first division. This is our goal. This is our federation. Victoria United will go up.”
Eto’o told Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport in June that he had been “talking to a friend, someone who invests in football and wants to make his club one of the best in Cameroon.”
He added: “I just reassured him by saying that I would have done everything possible to avoid any refereeing errors against him.”
It comes at the same time that the Athletic reported on Wednesday that FIFA is under pressure to fire Eto’o after a group of Cameroonian football authorities urged them to act.
After a string of public incidents, the group—which included the president of the Cameroonian professional football league and a former vice-president of Fecafoot—wrote a letter to FIFA President Gianni Infantino and Confederation of African Football (CAF) President Patrice Motsepe, asking how he has been permitted to continue “to illegally impose himself on the FECAFOOT presidency.”
Early in August, the CAF launched an inquiry into “certain alleged improper conduct” of Eto’o, a few weeks after leaked audio surfaced that purported to link the 42-year-old to a match-fixing scandal, which he vehemently denied.