New evidence has surfaced suggesting the Cameroonian Football Federation (Fecafoot) may have embezzled hundreds of millions of CFA francs during the organization of a friendly match between Cameroon and Russia held on 12 October 2023 in Moscow.
Originally scheduled for 15 June 2023, shortly after the Cameroon-Mexico fixture on 11 June, the Russia-Cameroon match was postponed under murky circumstances.
According to sports journalist Shance Lion, “If Cameroon had played against Russia on June 15, 2023, how would people have watched it during the Charity Match for Ukraine on August 5, 2023?” Fecafoot had informed the Russian Football Federation that the Cameroonian government instructed them not to participate, narrowly avoiding a diplomatic spat.
However, high-level diplomatic engagement later revived the fixture. During the Russia-Africa Economic Summit held in Saint Petersburg from 27 to 28 July 2023, Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly discussed the match with Cameroonian President Paul Biya.
Subsequently, on 22 August 2023, the Russian Football Federation formally invited Fecafoot to schedule the friendly during the October 2023 FIFA window.
The two federations agreed that the Russian Football Federation would handle round-trip transportation from Istanbul to Moscow for 45 people.
Additionally, Russia would cover all local logistics, including accommodation at the upscale Hyatt Regency Moscow Petrovsky Park, meals, internal transport, meeting facilities, and other hospitality services.
Fecafoot reportedly received $650,000 (approximately 372 million CFA francs) for participating in the match. However, in a parallel move, the federation submitted a budget to the Cameroonian government requesting an additional 559 million CFA francs for the same match.
The justification included 410 million CFA francs for air travel, visa fees of 260,000 francs per person, and hotel accommodation—all expenses already paid by the Russian side.
This duplication of funding, insiders say, resulted in an estimated loss of nearly 350 million CFA francs to Cameroonian taxpayers.
These revelations have reignited scrutiny over financial mismanagement within Fecafoot under the leadership of Samuel Eto’o, who has faced growing pressure to ensure transparency.
Critics also highlight that in other recent international friendlies — including matches against Uzbekistan, South Korea, Senegal, Mexico, and a mini-tournament in Morocco — hosting costs were fully borne by the organisers.
The Russia-Cameroon case, therefore, stands out as a potential misuse of public funds on a significant scale. An official investigation has yet to be confirmed.
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