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Cameroon football federation president and former star player Samuel Eto’o has apologised for kicking a man to the ground in what he called a “violent altercation” outside a World Cup stadium.

Eto’o had paused to pose for photos with fans near Stadium 974 after Brazil beat South Korea 4-1. Footage circulating on social media showed him then reacting to comments by a man holding a camera.

The former Barcelona and Inter Milan forward was initially held back by people in his entourage, but he then got clear and appeared to aim a kick at the man, who fell backwards to the ground.

“I had a violent altercation with a person who was probably an Algerian supporter,” Eto’o wrote in statements posted in French and English on his Twitter account, citing a months-long campaign by that country’s fans against Cameroon since their World Cup playoff in March.

“I would like to apologise for losing my temper and reacting in a way that does not match my personality,” said Eto’o, who has represented Qatar’s World Cup organising committee as a Global Legacy Ambassador since 2019.

The man, Algerian social media personality Said Mamouni, later published a video on YouTube saying he was the person who was attacked, and that he was at a Qatari police station to file a complaint against Eto’o.

“Samuel had a fight with me. He hit me, and the one accompanying him pushed me. I’m here to lodge a complaint and he also smashed my camera,” Mamouni said.