Soccer stars may be an inspiration to many, but sometimes they can get involved in some scandals off the pitch, such as the Dani Alves rape case. Barcelona and Cameroonian legend Samuel Eto’o is the latest soccer player to get involved in a scandal.
The forward is widely considered one of the best ever forwards to play the game and has won trophies with many clubs, having played at some of the best in Europe during his long career. He is also currently the president of his own country’s soccer federation. And now the once lethal striker is in legal trouble with someone close to him.
Samuel Eto’o sued by his daughter for unfulfilled obligations
Samuel Eto’o is now facing a legal case in Italy, where he once played for Inter Milan. But it is not anything related to the club, but that his own daughter has sued him. It is his estranged daughter, Annie Eto’o, a child born out of wedlock. She was born in 2002, after Samuel had an affair with a woman named Anna Maria Barranca. It was during an early period of his career, when he was in Spain.
Samuel was never in any part of her life, and she lived with her mother all her life. He never even acknowledged her as her daughter. Until 2015, when the issue was taken to the law, a judge determined that Annie was indeed his daughter after a DNA test was conducted. He was also ordered to pay about €10,000 as part of child maintenance fees in order for them to drop the case.
Annie is still only a student with no financial sources other than her mother, who is also struggling. It is now revealed that Samuel never paid the €10,000 fee he was supposed to. And so, after many attempts to contact her father, Annie was forced to make a complaint on October 13, which means another legal case is ongoing.
Eto’o resolved child support dispute with $98,576 settlement
And apparently this is not the first time Samuel Eto’o has been involved in this type of situation. The former Barcelona striker also had another daughter out of wedlock named Erika Do Rosario Nieves.
This time it was in Spain, with a woman called Adileusa. After she got pregnant in 1998, she was cut off from communicating with him by Eto’o. She also accused him of not paying any child support and sued him.
Samuel Eto'o agrees to pay €90,000 child support settlement after 5 years of trials: The #Cameroon football legend has been dragged by his estranged wife and daughter for 5 years after allegedly failing to pay up in child support.#cameroon #cameroun #etoo #sports #soccer pic.twitter.com/1soOHSIpE9
— Africa Global News (@Africaglobalnew) July 11, 2023
The court resolved the case in February 2022, after a DNA test confirmed her as the daughter. Samuel was then asked to pay €1,400 each month to her. It was planned in 2018, as that was when the case was filed. The total amount till now is up to $98,576, a hefty amount.
Samuel Eto’o is happily married since 2007 to his wife, Georgette. The pair have 4 children together, named Maelle, Étienne, Siena and Lynn.
