Cameroon icon Samuel Eto’o was involved in a confrontation in Qatar
Footage of the incident soon spread online. © Twitter / La Opinion
Footage has emerged showing a violent confrontation involving former Barcelona star Samuel Eto’o outside a World Cup stadium in Qatar.
The incident unfolded following Brazil’s 4-1 victory against South Korea at Stadium 974 in Doha on Monday night, where Eto’o was in attendance.
The 41-year-old former Cameroon international was seen making his way from the venue after the match, and initially appeared happy to pose with fans for photos.
But Eto’o took issue with one man who was pursuing him with a camera.
In footage shared by Spanish-language news outlet La Opinion, the ex-striker is seen returning to confront the individual.
Despite being restrained, Eto’o breaks free and appears to brutally knee the man directly in the face, sending him sprawling backwards.
Eto’o is then taken away from the scene by what appear to be members of his entourage, while the man gets back to his feet, seemingly without suffering serious injury.
It is not immediately clear what triggered the violent scenes or what was possibly said to Eto’o, who is in Qatar as a World Cup 2022 legacy ambassador.
Eto’o retired from professional football in 2019, following a glittering career which included spells at Barcelona and Inter Milan, as well as Anzhi Makhachkala in Russia.
He won 118 caps for Cameroon, scoring 56 times. Eto’o was elected as president of the Cameroon football federation in 2021.
Cameroon exited the Qatar 2022 World Cup at the group stage, finishing third in Group G but earning a famous 1-0 win against the Brazilians in their closing match.
