Sports

Leaked Conversation Lands Eto’o In Messy Scandal

Published

3 years ago

July 21, 2023

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This week a scandal has shaken the Cameroonian Football Federation (CFF) and more specifically its president, Samuel Eto’o, after the publication of a conversation he had at the beginning of the year with the head of the Victoria United club, a club that then played in the second category and that a few weeks ago achieved promotion to the top division. In the talk you can see how the former Barcelona and Inter Milan striker promises the manager that his team would rise to the first.

The texts were published by the Camfoot portal and in just hours an earthquake has been unleashed in football in that country. To understand the context, the dialogue took place between January 2 and 3 and one of the protagonists Valentine Gwain, president of Victoria United, who on December 30 had interrupted a match that his team lost 1-0 by invading the pitch in the 86th minute angry at the referee’s performance.

The talk begins when Gwain calls Eto’o, president of the federation, to express his frustration that his team, which was struggling to promote, had been harmed by the judge’s work. Faced with this, he receives the immediate response of the former Cameroonian striker: “There are things we can do, but you have to be very discreet brother.” And at the insistence, he explains that at that moment he was going home, after having celebrated New Year, so he would soon get to work on it: “I haven’t even had time to get home yet. I’m out, brother. I haven’t even had time to go home and work with the president (of the referees association) because I can’t call the referees directly and tell them to be careful. But I can work with the president.”

On several occasions, Eto’o recalls a conversation the two had in Qatar during the World Cup, although he makes no reference to the content of it. The portal assures that it is a talk in which he promised the promotion of his team, Victoria United, since Gwain had supported him in his project to the presidency.

“You stay calm, we give you your three points and we suspend the referee. But let me at least go back to Cameroon,” the former footballer promises him then. “I arrive on the 3rd (of January) at night. So see you in the office on the 4th. But I’m going to rule this referee out anyway. I am disqualifying this referee. On the 4th we will see you in the office, and so I will summon the president of the referees.”

During the dialogue, the former footballer is always insistent that the meeting be kept away from the focus of the press and the public: “It is better that we see each other discreetly. You even organize two days, invite your women to Yaoundé, meet discreetly, talk and leave.” In addition, he explains that the key is to have a good relationship with the president of the league: “He has the power … And from there, he with his commissions, will be able to suspend even the president of the referees.

Precisely, Gwain is annoyed with Fokoule, leader of the refereeing, whom he accuses of having placed a referee to harm him in the last game: “It is something planned to destroy me.”

Faced with that comment, Eto’o is blunt in his response: “No, no, no, no. Our club, Opopo (nickname by which Victoria United is known), must go up to the first division. That’s our goal.” Then, he promises that he will meet with the head of the arbitration and the president of the league to talk about it: “We are going to meet the three of us, and we are going to talk discreetly and we are going to fix all that.”

In April, Victoria United were crowned champions of the second division and thus achieved promotion to the top flight. Interestingly, since Eto’o won the election, it is the second promotion he achieves, since in 2020 he was in the third. In addition, in the middle of the season, goalkeeper Idris Youssouf was separated from the squad after an audio of him sent to a friend went viral in which he confessed that the club was fixing matches to get the title.

International News

Nottingham Forest Sacks 5th Manager In 10 Months, To Wrap Up Oliver Glasner’s Deal

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3 days ago

July 3, 2026

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Oliver Glasner is in advanced talks to replace Vitor Pereira as Nottingham Forest head coach, a move which would see the Austrian become the club’s fifth manager in less than a year.

Pereira announced his departure from the club in a statement on Wednesday, saying that it came as a “complete surprise to me and without any warning”.

Glasner is a free agent after leaving Crystal Palace — where he won the FA Cup in 2024-25 and then the Community Shield and Conference League the following campaign — and is set to stay in the Premier League.

The 51-year-old confirmed in January that he would leave Palace at the end of the season after two years in charge.

On Thursday, Forest confirmed Pereira’s coaching staff Filipe Almeida, Luis Miguel, Bruno Moura, Marco Knoop and Pedro Lopes had all left the club alongside the head coach.

Pereira, 57, was appointed Forest head coach in February on an 18-month contract which runs until 2027.

The Athletic reported in May Forest had been planning to show their faith in Pereira by handing the head coach a new long-term contract, but those talks were subsequently put on hold.

“Today marks the end of my journey as head coach of Nottingham Forest,” he said in his statement.

“I want to say a sincere thank you to everyone connected with this incredible football club. Although this decision came as a complete surprise to me and without any warning, I fully respect the club’s right to make the decisions it believes are best for its future.

“Naturally, I am disappointed and saddened. I truly believed in what we were building together, and I leave with a sense of pride in everything we achieved over the past months.

“Together, we enjoyed a memorable end to the season. We secured the club’s Premier League status, reached the semi-finals of the Europa League, and created moments that will stay with me forever. Most importantly, I saw a group of players grow in confidence, belief and togetherness.

“I leave Nottingham Forest with no bitterness or resentment—only respect, gratitude and wonderful memories. Football is full of unexpected moments, and while this chapter has ended sooner than I expected, I will always look back on my time here with pride and affection.”

The Portuguese succeeded Sean Dyche and was Forest’s fourth permanent boss of the season following the departures of Nuno Espirito Santo and Ange Postecoglou.

Nuno had led Forest to Europa League qualification the previous season but he departed in September, less than three months after signing a new deal. Postecoglou was appointed his replacement but was dismissed just 39 days later. Dyche took charge of the team in October before his dismissal in February.

Forest were three points above the relegation zone when Pereira was appointed and he subsequently steered his side to Premier League safety with two games of the campaign remaining.

His appointment marked his second managerial spell in the Premier League after guiding Wolverhampton Wanderers to safety during the 2024-25 campaign.

International News

Ronaldo Dismisses Sister’s Retirement Claim

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3 days ago

July 3, 2026

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Cristiano Ronaldo has publicly countered suggestions from his sister, Katia Aveiro, that he intends to retire from international football following the World Cup.

The Portuguese legend recently led his team to the round of 16 following a 2-1 victory over Croatia.

Ronaldo continued to be a pivotal player for his country, having scored the equalising goal from the penalty spot after going one goal down in the second half.

Following his goal, he became the oldest player to score in the knockout stage of the FIFA World Cup.

Reports from Portuguese media had quoted Aveiro stating that the current tournament would be Ronaldo’s final appearance for the national team.

Before the recent match against Croatia, Aveiro was quoted as saying, “From the information I have, from a reliable source, I believe that this is the last dance, so let’s enjoy it. I strongly believe this is the farewell.”

However, the football icon has made it clear that his focus remains solely on the present, not on his future.

“My future isn’t important right now,” Ronaldo stated. “I’ll have time; after winning or losing, I’ll talk to my family and then make the best decision.”

The legendary forward, who recently secured a trophy in Saudi Arabia, holds the record for both appearances and goals for his national team, with 146 goals in 232 caps.

International News

Match-Fixing: UEFA Slams Club With Europa League Ban

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3 days ago

July 3, 2026

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The UEFA Appeals Body has announced that Czech club Karvina is banned from participating in next season’s Europa League. UEFA made the decision based on competition regulations, ruling that Karvina “directly or indirectly participated in activities aimed at manipulating or influencing the results of domestic matches,” as stated in the official resolution.

As a result of this decision, Karvina’s spot as domestic cup winner will be taken by Viktoria Plzeň, with Viktoria Plzeň’s second qualifying round spot going to Hradec Králové. Jablonec will fill the vacant Conference League spot originally held by Hradec Králové.

In the Europa League, Hradec Králové will face Tromsø. In the Conference League, Jablonec will face Varaždin.

Viktoria Plzeň will learn their opponent in the Europa League playoff draw on Monday, August 3.