Retired Cameroonian footballer Samuel Eto’o has apologized after he apparently kneed a man in the face outside a World Cup stadium in Qatar.
Eto’o, 41, was involved in the altercation after Brazil win 4-1 over South Korea on Monday night.
In a tweet titled “My deepest apologies,” he said he was sorry for the “violent altercation” and “losing my temper and reacting in a way that doesn’t fit my personality.”
Eto’o said the man was “probably an Algerian supporter” and claimed to have received “relentless provocations”, “insults” and “cheating accusations” from some of the country’s fans since a controversial match between Cameroon and Algeria in March.
Footage shows Eto’o, president of the Cameroon Football Federation, surrounded by fans as he walked away from Stadium 974 in Doha.
In the clip, filmed by La Opinión, a Spanish-language news website, a man carrying a small camera and microphone approaches Eto’o.
After initially walking away, Eto’o walks up to the man to confront him.
The man, who continues to record the incident on his own device, tries to get away from Eto’o, who is held back by bystanders.
Footage then shows Eto’o pushing his way through and approaching the man again, before apparently kneeing him in the face.
They push him away as the man’s camera is thrown to the ground.
In a self-recorded video said to have been taken at a police station after the incident, the man, who is understood to be from Algeria, claims he asked for a photograph of the footballer when he “approached me and hit me.” “.
A former star for Real Madrid, Barcelona, Inter Milan and Chelsea, Eto’o is widely regarded as one of the greatest African footballers of all time.
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He scored 56 goals in 118 games for Cameroon, helping them win two Africa Cup of Nations trophies and Olympic gold in 2000.
He also won four Champions League titles, three La Liga titles, and numerous domestic cups.
Eto’o retired in 2016 and was named president of the soccer federation last December.
He has been in Qatar watching his national team, which failed to advance from the group stage despite beating favorites Brazil 1-0.
