An Algerian YouTuber who claims he is the man kneed in the chest by Samuel Eto’o has said he has reported the ex-footballer to police in Dubai.
The ex-Barcelona and Chelsea striker was caught on camera kneeing a man as he filmed him while he left Stadium 974 in Doha where Brazil had just beaten South Korea 4-1 yesterday.
Today the man was named in Spain as Said Mamouni, a YouTuber with more than 66,000 subscribers. A video emerged of the North African showing off his injuries and broken camera.
Spanish press reported that Mamouni is claiming Eto’o lost his temper after he asked him about referee Bakary Papa Gassama, and whether Eto’o had given him a bribe before Cameroon’s playoff victory over Algeria in March, granting his team a place in the World Cup.
Samuel Eto’o (right) has been pictured alongside a host of big names in Qatar this month. Above, he stands with FIFA President Gianni Infantino (left) ahead of Cameroon vs Serbia
The Gambian referee officiated the World Cup play-off second-leg between Algeria and Cameroon in Algiers earlier this year.
Cameroon won the match but afterwards the Algerian Football Federation sent a request to FIFA asking for a replay having claimed that the referee’s performance was unsatisfactory.
The referee Papa Gassama broke his silence after suffering a huge backlash to claim he was unfazed by the Algerian criticism.
He said: ‘If they win you are the good referee and if they lose they label you as the bad referee.’
Despite the controversy Papa Gassama was one of the eight referees from Africa selected for the World Cup in Qatar.
The man claiming he was kneed by Eto’o, said on his YouTube channel: ‘I’m at the police station to file a complaint against Eto’o, he hit me and someone else with him pushed me and destroyed my camera.’
Eto’o is best remembered for his five-year spell with Barcelona, where he played 199 times
Eto’o is currently president of the Cameroon Football Federation, and is in Qatar with the team
In the footage, Eto’o initially appears happy to pose for photos with waiting fans as he makes his way out of the venue, before the man said to be Mamouni approaches him to his right holding a video camera.
The footage, filmed by La Opinion, then seemingly shows the pair exchanging words, before the video cuts to a few seconds later, and Eto’o returning to the scene to confront Mamouni.
Eto’o then reacts furiously and begins to push the cameraman.
At this point, various onlookers step in to try and quell the disruption, but Eto’o is set on chasing the man and eventually has to be held back as he continues to try and confront him.
With four men holding Eto’o back, the footage then shows him giving his phone to a man, before breaking out of the huddle to knee the man in the face, knocking him to the ground.
The brutal blow appears to occur as Mamouni is bending down, leaving him unaware of Eto’o returning to continue the confrontation.
Although understandably shocked, the Mamouni is helped to his feet and did not initially appear to be badly hurt by the shocking blow, while Eto’o is held back again by two men.
As reported by La Opinion, Eto’o was quickly asked what had happened by reporters, but he was ‘out of his mind’ and was quickly led away by security.
An hour before the unsavory incident occurred, Eto’o was pictured inside the stadium with former NFL player Chad Johnson while watching the Brazil match.
His primary concern in Qatar was, clearly, watching his nation Cameroon and how their tournament unfolded, but it came to a disappointing end with a group stage exit – despite a victory over Brazil.
DailyMail.com has contacted both Eto’o and the Cameroon Football Federation for comment.
Eto’o (second left) launches the World Cup at a fan park in Doha alongside a host of other footballing legends, including Ronald de Boer, Cafu and Xavi (left-right)
Eto’o played for Chelsea (pictured) and Everton in the Premier League during his career
Eto’o retired from playing the game in 2019, following a spell in Qatar with Qatar SC. He is most famous for spells with Barcelona, Inter Milan and Chelsea, after coming through Real Madrid’s academy in 1997.
He also has 118 caps for his country – the second-most of any player in history.
It is not the first time the 41-year-old has hit headlines for non-footballing reasons in recent months, having been handed a 22-month suspended prison sentence in June for a £3m tax fraud, having failed to declare income from the transfer of image rights.
According to Sport, the former Barcelona and Inter Milan striker admitted the offence but alleges that he was a victim of manipulation.
The fraud relates to Eto’o failing to declare income derived from the transfer of image rights to Puma and Barcelona in his personal income tax return between 2006 and 2009.