Samuel Eto’o is facing calls for an investigation in Cameroon after the Association of Amateur Football Clubs of Cameroon (ACFAC) raised concerns over an alleged €567,000 payment linked to the 2023 friendly between Cameroon and Russia.

https://www.wansom.ai/briefly/news/acfac-complaint-samuel-eto-o-fecafoot-embezzlement_385652a4-3488-4a99-aa99-91132970977a?utm_source=

The allegations centre on claims that money intended for the Cameroon Football Federation (FECAFOOT) was transferred to a bank account that, according to reports, was held in Eto’o’s name.

ACFAC has called for the matter to be investigated and announced plans to pursue legal action in Cameroon and Russia.

The allegations have not been established by a court.

Samuel Eto’o linked to disputed Russia payment

The controversy relates to Cameroon’s friendly against Russia in Moscow on October 12, 2023.

According to AFP, ACFAC says the Russian Football Union allegedly breached its agreement with FECAFOOT by transferring around €567,000 into an account that did not belong to the federation.

The figure reported by AFP is approximately €567,000, while separate reporting has put the precise amount at €567,570.

Reports based on documents reviewed in the case say the payment was connected to the appearance fee for Cameroon’s participation in the friendly.

The issue now being raised by ACFAC is not simply whether Russia paid for the fixture, but where the money was sent and how it was subsequently accounted for.

# The Cameroonian faces legal action threat

ACFAC president Abdouraman Hamadou Baba has announced that the association intends to take the matter to court.

AFP reports that ACFAC plans to file a lawsuit against Samuel Eto’o in Cameroon, while also pursuing a separate legal complaint against the Russian Football Union in Russia.

Baba has been outspoken about the alleged transfer.

In comments reported by Camer.be, he said: “You cannot ask or have money transferred into a personal account in execution of a contract.”

He also said ACFAC would pursue the Russian football authorities over the payment.

The association has said the legal action is intended to establish what happened to the funds and determine whether the transactions complied with the agreement between the two football federations.

The allegations against AFCON golden boot winner remains unproven

The claims against Eto’o should be distinguished from established findings.

No court has ruled that Eto’o misappropriated the money, and the current reports concern allegations and calls for investigation.

Al Jazeera, reporting on the allegations separately, said former FECAFOOT executives accused Eto’o of redirecting more than €567,000 in appearance fees into a personal account. The report also said Eto’o denies the allegations.

The alleged payment has attracted attention because the money was reportedly connected to an official international fixture involving Cameroon’s national team.

The destination of the funds, rather than the existence of the friendly itself, is at the centre of the dispute.

 Samuel Eto’o and FECAFOOT under scrutiny

Eto’o has served as president of FECAFOOT since 2021 after winning the federation’s presidential election.

https://www.wansom.ai/briefly/news/acfac-complaint-samuel-eto-o-fecafoot-embezzlement_385652a4-3488-4a99-aa99-91132970977a?utm_source=chatgpt.com

His administration has faced several disputes during his tenure, including disagreements with former federation officials.

The latest controversy follows reports from international and Cameroonian media concerning documents relating to the Russia-Cameroon agreement.

Camfoot, in reporting on documents it said it reviewed, reported that the contract for the match specified a payment of €567,570 to FECAFOOT but contained banking details identifying an account in the name of Samuel Eto’o at Qatar National Bank in Doha.

Those claims form part of the material that has prompted calls for further scrutiny.

The AFCON winner previously backed Infantino

The Russia payment allegations have also emerged shortly after Eto’o publicly defended FIFA president Gianni Infantino.

Last month, Eto’o said Infantino “hasn’t done anything wrong” while backing the FIFA president amid pressure surrounding a controversial World Cup-related commercial proposal.

https://today-prod.rtl.lu/news/world/etoo-urges-support-for-embattled-fifa-president-infantino-887527095?utm_

The statement was reported by AFP and reproduced by multiple international outlets.

Eto’o has also previously praised Infantino’s contribution to African football.

The comments are separate from the Russia payment allegations and do not establish any connection between the two matters.

 Samuel Eto’o case awaits investigation

ACFAC’s planned legal action could now determine whether the allegations develop into formal proceedings in Cameroon or Russia.

The association says it wants the circumstances surrounding the payment examined.

The central issue will be whether the funds were properly received and accounted for under the terms of the agreement for the 2023 friendly by FECAFOOT.

Whilst the allegations against Eto’o remain unproven unless an investigation or court process establishes otherwise.

The Russian Football Union has also been named in ACFAC’s proposed legal complaint.

The next significant development will be whether the proposed complaints lead to formal investigations by the relevant authorities.

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Ajayi achieved the feat in Brussels, becoming the first Nigerian male athlete to compete in the Diamond League 100m final since the series was launched in 2010.

The 21-year-old Nigerian then gave the historic occasion an even brighter finish, clocking 9.97 seconds to claim the bronze medal in a stacked final.

Jamaica’s Oblique Seville won the Diamond League 100m title in 9.90 seconds, with Cameroon‘s Emmanuel Eseme taking silver in 9.93 seconds. Australia’s Lachlan Kennedy finished fourth in 9.99 seconds.

While the podium finish adds another medal to Ajayi’s breakthrough season, his qualification for the final had already secured his place in Nigerian sprinting history.

No Nigerian male athlete had previously reached the Diamond League final in the men’s 100m since the competition’s inception, making Ajayi’s appearance a significant milestone for the country.

He completed the occasion with another sub-10-second performance, underlining the consistency that has defined his campaign.

Ajayi has repeatedly broken the 10-second barrier this season and established himself as one of Africa’s leading sprinters, competing against some of the world’s fastest men.

His bronze in Brussels also highlighted the strength of African sprinting, with Ajayi and Eseme finishing on the podium behind Seville.

The achievement comes as Ajayi prepares for another major test at the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest.

The Nigerian is among the five individual athletes who will represent the country at the September 11–13 championship, where the world’s leading sprinters are expected to battle for the new title.

With Seville, Eseme and American star Noah Lyles among the leading names expected in the field, Ajayi will have another opportunity to measure his progress against the best in the world.

For Nigeria, however, Brussels has already delivered a historic moment.

Ajayi did not merely make the Diamond League 100m final; he became the first Nigerian male sprinter to do so and left Brussels with a bronze medal to mark the occasion.

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The 21-year-old Nigerian international joins the newly promoted English Women’s Super League (WSL) side on a free transfer after leaving Portsmouth.

Erhabor made six appearances for Portsmouth last season after coming in through Brighton’s academy. She had also had loan spells at Hibernian and Plymouth Argyle where she gained valuable senior minutes and experience.

Erhabor signed a two-year contract keeping her at the South London club until June 2028. The club announced her arrival on Thursday.
“Crystal Palace Women are delighted to announce the signing of Nigeria international goalkeeper Comfort Erhabor,” the club wrote on its website.

“It feels really good to be here. I’m very excited to get started,” Erhabor told the club’s website. “I’m aspiring to play at the highest level, so this is a really big step in my career.”

Following the club announcement, Crystal Palace manager Jo Potter said, “Comfort is a promising young goalkeeper, and we are thrilled to have her here at Palace.”

The Netherlands-born and England-raised goalkeeper made her debut for the Nigerian women’s senior team in February 2026 during a friendly against Cameroon. She was also included in the Super Falcons‘ squad for the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON), although she did not get any minutes.

She becomes the latest Super Falcons player to move to join a team in England after defender Rofiat Imuran secured a transfer to Aston Villa Women for the 2026/27 season.
Erhabor will now link-up with the Crystal Palace first team and continue her senior career development.

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The defeat came at a disappointing time for Nigeria, who entered the fourth qualifying window in strong form after recording three consecutive victories in the previous round. D’Tigers also carried a 4–2 record into the second phase, while Cameroon began the round as Group E leaders with a 5–1 record.

Nigeria struggled offensively from the opening minutes as Cameroon established an early advantage. The Indomitable Lions took the first quarter 23–14, leaving D’Tigers with an early nine-point deficit.

The Nigerians showed some improvement in the second quarter, matching Cameroon 18–18, but were unable to significantly reduce the gap before halftime. Cameroon therefore went into the break with a 41–32 lead.

D’Tigers needed a strong response after the interval but struggled to generate the momentum required to turn the contest around. Cameroon edged the third quarter 19–16 before closing out the game with an 18–14 advantage in the final period.

Nigeria’s shooting efficiency ultimately proved costly. D’Tigers converted only 24 of their 72 field-goal attempts, representing 33.3 per cent, while their three-point shooting was even more disappointing at 17.8 per cent.

Cameroon were considerably more efficient from the field, making 40 of 80 attempts for 50 per cent. They also shot 27.6 per cent from three-point range and 74.1 per cent from the free-throw line, compared with Nigeria’s 66.7 per cent.

Efe Abogidi was Nigeria’s leading performer statistically, recording an efficiency rating of 14, but his contribution was not enough to prevent D’Tigers from suffering their first defeat of the second round.

For Cameroon, Yves Missi delivered the standout individual performance, finishing the game with an efficiency rating of 30 as the Indomitable Lions maintained their strong position in Group E.

The defeat leaves Nigeria with little room for complacency in a group where the results from the first qualifying round carry over into the second phase.

Under FIBA’s qualification format, the top two teams from each second-round group, alongside the best third-placed team, will secure places at the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Qatar.

D’Tigers will have an immediate opportunity to respond when they face South Sudan on Friday, August 28, in their next Group E encounter at the Salle Multidisciplinaire de Radès.

The meeting presents another difficult challenge for Nigeria, with South Sudan regarded as one of the strongest basketball nations on the continent. However, D’Tigers will take confidence from their previous meetings with the Bright Stars, having won both of their earlier encounters.

Nigeria must now quickly put the Cameroon defeat behind them and produce a significantly improved offensive performance against South Sudan. Greater efficiency in front of the basket, better ball movement and a stronger defensive response will be crucial if D’Tigers are to get their qualification campaign back on track.

The road to Qatar is still open, but the defeat to Cameroon has increased the pressure on Nigeria ahead of the remainder of the qualifying window.

For D’Tigers, the response starts against South Sudan.

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Amun rejected criticism of the Super Falcons’ performance at the tournament, arguing that their overall showing should be viewed positively.

“I disagree with anybody who says the Super Falcons’ performance was woeful. The WAFCON in Morocco was a huge success,” Amun said, as quoted by Brila Media.

This claim has elicited a widespread reaction and criticism from fans all over the country, as most people believe, based on facts and the eventual tournament turnout, that the campaign was a historic disaster for Nigerian women’s football.

The Super Falcons struggled to advance to the 2026 WAFCON quarter-finals due to their opening game loss to Malawi.

The 10-time African champions were knocked out in the quarterfinals and lost the chance at direct qualification to the World Cup after a 1-0 defeat to Cameroon.

By losing a subsequent playoff match 2-1 to South Africa, Nigeria failed to qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil. This marked the first time in history that the Super Falcons will miss the global tournament since its inception in 1991.

Amun clarified his perspective by arguing that simply competing and advancing past the group stages means the tournament shouldn’t be written off as an absolute failure, noting that many other teams exited much earlier.

He also defended the NFF against public backlash regarding logistical issues, such as the team’s late arrival in Morocco, blaming visa delays by the host nation rather than federation mismanagement.

“The issue of the players’ departure is not that of the NFF. If the host country, like Morocco, issues the visas and they then decide to depart late, it is not the NFF”, Amun said.

His remarks have polarized the football community, especially since they came just days after his own committee submitted a sweeping report on August 21, 2026, which exposed deep systemic rot, financial discrepancies, and camp infiltration within the national team setup.

The NFF itself viewed the tournament as a failure, immediately dismissing head coach Justine Madugu and his entire technical team.

In mid-August 2026, the NFF appointed Fanny Amun to head a 6-member fact-finding panel. The group was tasked with investigating recent declines in Nigerian football, specifically focusing on the Super Falcons’ historic failure to qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

The committee’s sweeping report exposed significant inner rot, which includes: Interference by NFF board members and officials intruding into team camps, unequal payments between administrators and players, a cash-for-players selection scandal, technical deficiencies, poor grassroots development, and weak league management.

Immediately after submitting the report on August 21, 2026, Amun announced his resignation as the committee’s chairman.

He explained at a press conference at the National Stadium in Lagos that he completed the task early and resigned explicitly to protect the integrity of the findings, ensuring no external forces could alter or compromise the report before its submission to the NFF, National Sports Commission (NSC), and FIFA.

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The defeat marks Nigeria’s second consecutive loss to Mali in the championship game.

Mali’s latest victory also secured a second three-peat at the tournament, further underlining their dominance of the U18 Women’s AfroBasket.

Nigeria began the tournament with a 54-50 victory over Tunisia.

They suffered their first setback in the following game, losing 75-74 to Cameroon in a closely contested encounter.

The Junior D’Tigress recovered in their final group-phase match with a commanding 70-40 win over Senegal.

That result sent Nigeria into the knockout stages with renewed confidence.

Cameroon stood in their way again in the quarter-finals, but the outcome was very different from their group meeting.

Nigeria produced one of their best performances of the tournament to beat Cameroon 75-45 and avenge their earlier defeat.

The semi-final presented another difficult challenge against hosts Côte d’Ivoire.

Nigeria held their nerve in another tight contest, edging the hosts 53-50 to book their place in the final.

Mali then ended Nigeria’s title hopes with a 77-68 victory in the championship game.

The Junior D’Tigress remained competitive but could not produce the consistency required to overturn Mali’s advantage during the decisive stages.

The result leaves Nigeria with another silver medal after a campaign in which they recovered impressively from their early defeat by Cameroon.

Their quarter-final response was particularly significant, with the 30-point victory showing the team’s ability to learn from setbacks and raise their level when it mattered.

The narrow win over Côte d’Ivoire also demonstrated Nigeria’s composure in a high-pressure knockout match.

Mali, however, once again proved to be the benchmark in the competition.

Their latest triumph completed their second three-peat and extended a remarkable period of dominance that remains unmatched in the history of the U18 Women’s AfroBasket.

Nigeria’s run to the final was nevertheless enough to secure qualification for the 2027 FIBA U19 Women’s Basketball World Cup in China.

The global tournament will give the players another opportunity to test themselves against the strongest teams in their age group.

The experience gained in Abidjan should also provide valuable preparation as this group continues its progression through the national-team system.

Nigeria will now have to build on the positives from the tournament while addressing the gap exposed by another defeat to Mali.

The Junior D’Tigress have shown that they can compete deep into the tournament, but converting that progress into gold remains the next challenge.

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Entering the tournament as debutants and ranked 153rd in the world, Malawi were drawn into Group C alongside Zambia, Egypt and 10-time African champions Nigeria. Few would have expected the Scorchers to emerge as one of the tournament’s biggest stories.

They announced their arrival in emphatic fashion in their opening match, defeating Nigeria 3-2 to immediately establish themselves as serious contenders.

The victory provided Malawi with the confidence to navigate the group stage successfully, as they finished top of Group C and advanced to the quarter-finals.

Their momentum continued in the knockout stages when the Scorchers defeated Ghana‘s Black Queens 2-1 in the quarter-finals. The victory secured their place in the semi-finals and, more importantly, guaranteed Malawi a historic place at the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

It was the first World Cup qualification in the history of Malawi’s senior women’s national team and the highest achievement yet for the country’s women’s football programme.

Malawi Challenging Africa’s established order

Malawi’s rise represents more than an individual success story.

For years, African women’s football has largely been dominated by established powers such as Nigeria, South Africa and Cameroon. Their consistency at continental competitions helped create a hierarchy in which emerging nations often struggled to challenge the traditional heavyweights.

That landscape, however, is changing.

The emergence of Ghana, Zambia, Morocco, Algeria and now Malawi has demonstrated the increasing competitiveness of the women’s game across the continent.

Malawi’s journey is particularly significant because the Scorchers did not simply participate in their first WAFCON. They competed against experienced opposition, defeated one of Africa’s most successful teams and progressed all the way to the final.

Although Cameroon eventually defeated Malawi in the final, the Scorchers had already achieved something historic by reaching the championship match and securing their World Cup ticket.

Chawinga sisters bring global attention

The Scorchers’ success has also provided greater visibility for Malawi’s players, particularly the Chawinga sisters.

Captain Tabitha Chawinga, who plays for Lyon Women in France, has become one of the most recognisable figures in Malawi’s team, while her sister Temwa Chawinga, a Kansas City player, has also established herself as a prominent name in the women’s game.

Their careers have provided young African players with visible examples of what can be achieved at the highest level.

The Chawinga sisters have also helped draw greater international attention to Malawi’s football story, giving the Scorchers faces and personalities that supporters around the world can connect with.

What the World Cup means for Malawi

Malawi’s qualification for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup gives the country an opportunity to take its recent progress beyond the African stage.

The World Cup will expose the Scorchers to some of the leading women’s national teams in the world while providing their players with an opportunity to compete at the highest level of international football.

It could also create greater visibility for women’s football in Malawi and provide momentum for further investment in the development of the game.

For African women’s football more broadly, Malawi’s rise offers another indication that the gap between the continent’s traditional powers and emerging nations is becoming increasingly narrow.

The Scorchers entered WAFCON as newcomers.

They leave as finalists, World Cup qualifiers and one of the biggest success stories of the tournament.

Their journey has shown that African women’s football is no longer defined solely by its traditional giants. The next generation of challengers is already here and Malawi have shown just how far they can go.

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Cameroon have been crowned WAFCON champions, giving Eto’o another opportunity to celebrate a major continental success involving his nation.

The Indomitable Lionesses produced a determined campaign throughout the tournament, showing character when they needed it the most. Their biggest statement came in the quarter-finals, where they eliminated defending champions Nigeria, ending the Super Falcons‘ hopes of retaining their crown.

Cameroon then faced another difficult challenge against hosts Morocco in the semi-finals. After the match remained goalless through regulation and extra time, the Lionesses held their nerve in the penalty shootout to book their place in the final and move one step closer to the trophy.

In the final, Cameroon completed the job against the chawinga sisters and Malawi, a side that had been one of the revelations of the tournament. The victory gave the Lionesses the WAFCON title and provided a major moment for women’s football in Cameroon.

For Eto’o, the achievement carries a different meaning from the trophies he won as a player. During his playing career, he was one of the faces of Cameroonian football, winning major honours and leading the national team. Now, as president of the Cameroon Football Federation, he is experiencing success from behind the scenes.

Seven years after leaving the pitch, Eto’o has returned to the podium in a different role. The celebration is no longer about his goals or performances, but about the success of a team representing the country he once carried as captain.

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The NFF Executive Committee asked members of the technical crew to step down with immediate effect, according to a statement published on the federation’s official X handle on Monday.

https://x.com/thenff/status/2089401804777779350?s=20

The decision comes after a disappointing WAFCON campaign that culminated in Nigeria’s historic failure to qualify for the Women’s World Cup for the first time.

Nigeria were beaten 2-1 by South Africa in a play-off at the WAFCON in Morocco, ending their hopes of reaching next year’s tournament in Brazil.

The setback marked a dramatic fall for the continent’s top-ranked women’s side, who had entered the competition as favourites to retain the title.

The Super Falcons, however, endured a difficult campaign from the group stage, suffering a defeat to Malawi before being eliminated by Cameroon in the quarter-finals.

With the four semi-finalists guaranteed qualification for the 2027 Women’s World Cup, Nigeria were handed one final opportunity to keep their hopes alive through a play-off.

However, the defeat to South Africa in Casablanca ended their hopes and brought an end to Nigeria’s remarkable record of appearing at every edition of the Women’s World Cup since the inaugural tournament in China in 1991.

The failure is a major blow for a side that has dominated women’s football in Africa for decades.

The Super Falcons have won the WAFCON a record 10 times and have traditionally been regarded as the continent’s leading women’s national team.

The NFF’s decision to demand the technical crew’s departure therefore represents the first major step in what is expected to be a wider overhaul of the national team following the disappointing campaign.

The federation had already inaugurated a fact-finding committee to investigate the factors behind the recent struggles of Nigeria’s national teams, with particular attention to the Super Falcons’ failure to qualify for the Women’s World Cup.

The committee, chaired by Ambassador Fanny Ikhayere Amun, has been given two weeks to investigate the circumstances surrounding the setback and submit its recommendations to the NFF.

The decision to remove the technical crew comes as the federation considers a fresh technical direction for the Super Falcons and seeks to establish the reasons behind the team’s poor performance in Morocco.

The NFF is now expected to determine the next steps regarding the appointment of a new technical setup, with further details expected in the coming days.

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The defeat marks Nigeria’s second consecutive loss to Mali in the championship game.

Mali’s latest victory also secured a second three-peat at the tournament, further underlining their dominance of the U18 Women’s AfroBasket.

Nigeria began the tournament with a 54-50 victory over Tunisia.

They suffered their first setback in the following game, losing 75-74 to Cameroon in a closely contested encounter.

The Junior D’Tigress recovered in their final group-phase match with a commanding 70-40 win over Senegal.

That result sent Nigeria into the knockout stages with renewed confidence.

Cameroon stood in their way again in the quarter-finals, but the outcome was very different from their group meeting.

Nigeria produced one of their best performances of the tournament to beat Cameroon 75-45 and avenge their earlier defeat.

The semi-final presented another difficult challenge against hosts Côte d’Ivoire.

Nigeria held their nerve in another tight contest, edging the hosts 53-50 to book their place in the final.

Mali then ended Nigeria’s title hopes with a 77-68 victory in the championship game.

The Junior D’Tigress remained competitive but could not produce the consistency required to overturn Mali’s advantage during the decisive stages.

The result leaves Nigeria with another silver medal after a campaign in which they recovered impressively from their early defeat by Cameroon.

Their quarter-final response was particularly significant, with the 30-point victory showing the team’s ability to learn from setbacks and raise their level when it mattered.

The narrow win over Côte d’Ivoire also demonstrated Nigeria’s composure in a high-pressure knockout match.

Mali, however, once again proved to be the benchmark in the competition.

Their latest triumph completed their second three-peat and extended a remarkable period of dominance that remains unmatched in the history of the U18 Women’s AfroBasket.

Nigeria’s run to the final was nevertheless enough to secure qualification for the 2027 FIBA U19 Women’s Basketball World Cup in China.

The global tournament will give the players another opportunity to test themselves against the strongest teams in their age group.

The experience gained in Abidjan should also provide valuable preparation as this group continues its progression through the national-team system.

Nigeria will now have to build on the positives from the tournament while addressing the gap exposed by another defeat to Mali.

The Junior D’Tigress have shown that they can compete deep into the tournament, but converting that progress into gold remains the next challenge.

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