Former Barcelona and Inter Milan star Samuel Eto’o finds himself embroiled in a legal dispute after his daughter, Annie, initiated legal proceedings against him.
According to the Daily Mail, Eto’o reportedly refused involvement in Annie’s life following her birth from an affair in Italy with Anna Maria Barranca in 2002.
Despite a 2015 DNA test confirming Eto’o as Annie’s father, and a subsequent court order demanding he pay €10,000 (£8,600) in maintenance, Annie, now 21, alleges that Eto’o ceased fulfilling his financial obligations.
As per Gazzetta dello Sport (via Marca as relayed by Daily Mail). She lodged a complaint with the Milan Prosecutor’s Office, citing Eto’o’s ‘non-compliance with family support obligations,’
This is not the first time Eto’o has been involved in the off the pitch scandals.
He has previously been accused of being involved in a match-fixing scandal in Cameroon’s second tier. The police opened an investigation into the allegations of “abuse of authority and corruption”.
In another scandal, Eto’o pleaded guilty to a £3.2m tax fraud relating to his image rights while playing for Barcelona.
He was given a 22-month suspended prison sentence and must repay the money he owes, along with a fine of £1.55m.