FIFA has handed lifetime bans to two former football federation presidents over financial misconduct, raising fresh questions about the governing body’s handling of allegations involving other senior football officials, including Cameroon legend Samuel Eto’o.
Former Montserrat Football Association president Vincent Cassell and former Maldives Football Association president Bassam Adeel Jaleel were both found guilty of serious financial offences by FIFA judges.
FIFA delivers severe punishment
Cassell was banned for life after being found guilty of abuse of position, systemic conflicts of interest and misuse of FIFA and federation funds.
The former Montserrat chief was also fined one million Swiss francs, while former federation general secretary Tandica Hughes received a 15-year ban and a 150,000 Swiss franc fine.
Cassell had previously been sanctioned in 2011 over a Caribbean election bribery scandal but remained in charge of Montserrat football until FIFA installed an emergency management team in February 2026.
Jaleel was also handed a lifetime ban and one million Swiss franc fine after being found to have misused money from FIFA’s COVID-19 Relief Plan for personal benefit.
Maldives media reported that Jaleel was separately sentenced to 23 years in prison for embezzling $1.2 million intended for local football clubs.
Eto’o allegations face fresh scrutiny
The punishments could increase attention on allegations surrounding Eto’o, who has been accused of mishandling more than $500,000 linked to a 2023 friendly between Russia and Cameroon.
According to The Times, leaked invoices and contracts allegedly show two transfers totalling $567,570, around ₦752 million, being sent to a personal bank account belonging to Eto’o in Qatar rather than an official FECAFOOT account.
Former FECAFOOT executives reportedly claim the funds cannot be accounted for in the federation’s books and that complaints were submitted to FIFA’s ethics committee more than a year ago.
Eto’o, who has served as FECAFOOT president since 2021, has not been found guilty of wrongdoing based on the information available. Neither he nor FECAFOOT has responded to requests for comment, according to The Times.
With FIFA now demonstrating its willingness to impose lifetime bans for serious financial misconduct, attention could turn to whether the allegations involving the former Barcelona and Inter striker will receive further scrutiny.