Former FC Barcelona, Real Madrid striker Samuel Eto’o has often made headlines since taking over as head of the Cameroon Football Federation, and often for the wrong reasons.
The four-time African Footballer of the Year is facing legal proceedings in Italy after his estranged daughter accused him of not paying her child support. Annie, 21, was born from an affair with Anna Maria Barranca in 2002, in Padua, Italy, but Eto’o was never part of her life. In 2015, a judge recognized Annie as his daughter following a DNA test, and Eto’o agreed to pay Barranca 10,000 euros in child support. In exchange, she dropped the legal proceedings against him.
Living in Italy, Marca reports that Annie has filed a lawsuit for unpaid child support, alleging that Eto’o didn’t keep his word. Annie is now an adult, but she is still studying and dependent on her mother, who is struggling to make ends meet.
The last time Eto’o’s name made headlines was as part of a match-fixing scandal in Cameroon. Other members of the federation accuse him of having used referees to influence the results of Cameroon’s second division. Eto’o also attracted attention when he hit out at a YouTuber during the World Cup in Qatar last year, alleging he was being harassed.
