Cameroon legend Samuel Eto’o slammed for brutally attacking a man outside Qatar World Cup 2022 stadium
Cameroon football federation president and former star player Samuel Eto’o was filmed apparently kicking a man to the ground in an altercation outside Stadium 974 after Brazil beat South Korea 4-1 at the Qatar World Cup 2022.
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FollowSamuel Eto'o, a football legend and the current president of the Cameroon FA, was caught on camera assaulting a man outside a stadium at the World Cup 2022 in Qatar on Tuesday morning.
Shocking footage captures the former Barcelona icon leaving Stadium 974 in Doha after watching Brazil defeat South Korea 4-1 in their round of 16 match. The Cameroon star has also played for Mallorca, Inter Milan, Chelsea and Everton, among other clubs.
Before a man with a video camera approaches him to his right, Eto'o tries to smile for pictures with waiting for supporters as he exits the venue. The video, which La Opinion captured, shows the two speaking before cutting to a few seconds later and Eto'o coming back to the scene to confront the man.
It is unclear what was said to irk Eto'o - who is in Qatar as World Cup 2022 legacy ambassador - but he reacts furiously and begins to push the cameraman.
At this time, several witnesses intervene to try and calm the situation. Still, Eto'o is determined to pursue the man and must ultimately be restrained as he tries to confront him.
The video then shows Eto'o giving a man his phone while being restrained by four men. He emerges from the group and knees the man in the face, sending him to the ground. The vicious strike appears as the man stooping, oblivious to the Cameroonian returning to resume the argument.
Although understandably shocked, the unidentified man is helped to his feet and does not appear to be badly hurt by the shocking blow, while Eto'o is held back again by two men.
According to reports, the man with whom Eto'o had the physical altercation outside Stadium 974 is an Algerian YouTuber who asked the Cameroon FA president about the refereeing of the match between the two countries during the Qatar World Cup 2022 playoffs.
According to La Opinion, reporters asked Eto'o what had happened immediately, but he was reported "out of his mind" and had to be quickly led away by security.
Eto'o was photographed inside the stadium watching the Brazil game with former NFL player Chad Johnson an hour before the unsavoury event. His primary focus in Qatar was undoubtedly keeping an eye on his native Cameroon and how their tournament played out. However, despite a victory over Brazil, they were eliminated in the group round.
2019 saw the end of Eto'o's career as a player after a stint with Qatar SC in Qatar. He graduated from the Real Madrid academy in 1997, and after stints with Barcelona, Inter Milan, and Chelsea, he is best known for them. He also has 118 caps for Cameroon - the second-most of any player in history.
The 41-year-old has previously made headlines for reasons unrelated to football, having received a 22-month suspended prison sentence in June for a 3 million pounds tax fraud after failing to declare income from the sale of image rights.
According to reports, the former striker for Barcelona and Inter Milan admitted to the wrongdoing but claimed that his former agent Jose Maria Mesalles tried to manipulate him. Eto'o's failure to report income from the sale of image rights to Puma and Barcelona on his income tax return between 2006 and 2009 is related to the fraud.
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Samuel Eto'o physical altercation with the alleged Algerian YouTuber has sparked massive public outrage on Twitter, with some fans slamming the legendary player, while others came out in support of the Cameroon FA president.
"For me, nothing justifies the gesture of Samuel Eto' o. Relentlessness or not, he must keep his calm and control his emotions as president. It gave a bad image of our country, but hey, it's human, he cracked," noted one football enthusiast.
Another added, "Samuel Eto'o is only human," while a third fan remarked, "Yes, Samuel Eto'o could have handled it better, but he's human, and when you come at people with a senseless question like that, you can't tell them how to react."
Here's a look at some reactions after the Eto'o video went viral:
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