Samuel Eto’o, a globally recognizable soccer player with an extensive career, was appointed to the role of president of the Cameroon Football Federation, Fecafoot, near the end of 2021. The outstanding athlete with a lustrous career has played for England, Italy and Spain and has four African Player of the Year Awards along with two Africa Cup of Nations Titles while with Cameroon, among other recognitions and awards.

Despite his achievements and extensive career in the sport, Eto’o was tangled in a scandal with claims related to abuse of power, match-fixing and even threats of violence against people who did not agree with his intentions, a newly released report claims. On Wednesday, The Athletic announced it received a wide range of alleged evidence, including letters, emails, WhatsApp messages and sound recordings accusing Fecafoot’s president of the aforementioned unlawful activities.

Reportedly, the information was supplied by Henry Njalla Quan Junior, Fecafoot’s former vice president. The aforementioned details were also sent to FIFA’s Ethics Committee last summer, while an investigation into the matter by Africa’s football federation, CAF, is reportedly ongoing.

Previously, CAF confirmed that it is investigating different claims against Fecafoot’s president. Despite that, according to The Athletic, while CAF continues to investigate this matter, Eto’o is “presumed to be innocent until an appropriate judicial body concludes otherwise.”

Allegations about Match-Fixing, Favoritism

Some of the supplied messages, audio recordings and emails by Njalla Quan Junior are indirect or anonymous. Notably, the former Fecafoot vice president alleged that Eto’o was involved in match-fixing activities. According to the data supplied by Njalla Quan Junior, one of the match-fixing incidents involved a team he owns, Njalla Quan Sports Academy (NQSA).

He claimed that NQSA’s match against Kumba City FC was orchestrated by Eto’o. Njalla Quan Junior said that the aforementioned match was “the most scandalous… in the history of mankind,” claiming that Eto’o provided instructions to referees via a phone that was on speaker during the half-time of the first leg.

Supporting his claims, Njalla Quan Junior said that they were based on discussions with an anonymous third party. After the two legs, Kumba City FC ultimately won against NQSA with a score of 3-1.

Additionally, Njalla Quan Junior alleged that Valentine Nkwain, the owner of Victoria United, was given assurances by Eto’o that his team would be promoted to a higher division. In a recording, Eto’o allegedly promised that “there are things” that can be done for Nkwain’s team. Victoria United went on to win 11 out of their 17 matches, actions that ultimately bumped the team to the first division.

Eto’o has previously denied any wrongdoing. Yet, the ongoing investigations and the serious accusations put Fecafoot’s president in a difficult position.

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Wargo talked to Shawnee Delaney, the current chief executive of Vaillance Group, and a former Defense Intelligence Agency officer. Delaney was keen to explain how her previous experience in intelligence services was more relevant to the casino sector than anyone outside the industry could suspect.

Casinos Continue to Be Target for Bad Actors and Hackers

She put a stop to the speculation by explaining that malicious actors – whether they are spies or social engineers – use the same technique to infiltrate systems and networks, accessing all sorts of information. Delaney said that casinos are particularly vulnerable in their relationships with third parties.

This, she argued, allows hackers to penetrate third-party systems and from there on – the casinos themselves. It’s how hackers make money, she told Wargo. Smart devices and technology are similarly at a risk. Hackers can infiltrate something as simple as wearable devices or the remote technology in a fish tank – a viable way to hack into a casino, which has already happened.

Because of that one small vulnerability no one thought much about, hackers were able to completely overwhelm the casino’s security in at least one case, the chief executive told the reporter. Delaney believes that the fallout is worse still as investigations are costly and the media blowout stings even more. Essentially, every prominent brand and casino had been hacked at some point in their time.

BetMGM and DraftKings were attacked late in 2022, and two million accounts were then sold on the Dark Web. She also noted that social unrest, such as the pandemic, also led to insider fraud and theft of intellectual property, with people “hedging their bets.” There are reasons for this as well – such as low-paying jobs, debt, addiction, revenge, and more, but the fact remains that casinos are exposed to these dangers as well.

Malicious Insiders, Rogue Employees, and More

IT should also be kept under close watch, Delaney believes, as people with a technical position and privileged access may launch an attack – which usually takes place after business hours and causes a disruption of business. Yet malicious insiders who are only trying to harm a company from the inside account for 10% of all people involved.

In a word, Delaney explained, there are many threats that casinos face and not have been adequately addressed. More needs to be done, whether it requires corporate training, improvement of internal processes, or most commonly – all of this and more.

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