Report: Samuel Eto’o Threatens to Sue Website Over April Fool's Prank
Former Barcelona and Inter Milan striker Samuel Eto'o has threatened to sue Jeune Afrique Magazine for defamation after they published an article which claimed that Eto'o was planning to run in the 2018 Cameroon presidential election.
The April Fool's Prank consisted of a fake interview in which Eto'o lists his reasons for wanting to become the next president of Cameroon. The fake interview was then picked up by major news site France 24 before it caught the attention of the man himself.
Eto'o, who currently plays for Turkish side Konyaspor in the Süper Lig, didn't see the funny side of things and took to Facebook to express his disapproval as well as threaten legal action.
“As a Cameroonian, I am deeply respectful of the institutions of my country and those who embody them,” the 37-year-old wrote.
“I therefore believe that the 2018 presidential election in Cameroon and the exercise of the supreme office are very important and cannot be discussed lightly."
Eto'o continued: “More seriously, the authors of this farce mocked the Anglophone crisis - a situation that causes desolation and mourning in my country.
“I think that the words attributed to my modest self under the guise of a supposed farce are absolutely reductive and denote a total lack of respect.”
The French-language pan-African weekly news magazine, which is published in Paris, has not taken down the article but has instead removed the section regarding the Anglophone crisis and added the following disclaimer.
“As confirmed by the humorous tone of this interview, Samuel Eto'o never claimed that he would run for president in Cameroon.”
