Erika do Rosario: 3 things to know about Samuel Eto's daughter and why she is suing her dad

The Cameroon football legend is yet to acknowledge the paternity of his daughter, Erika Rosario.

Cameroon football legend Samuel Eto’o recently made the headlines over his paternity issues.

The former Barcelona, Chelsea and Inter striker has reportedly been sued by his daughter Erika do Rosario Nieves for allegedly neglecting his duties as a father.

In what has been a constant back and forth between the FECAFOOT president and his daughter,  'El Diario de Sevilla' revealed this week, that Erika and her representatives are seeking punishment for Samuel Eto’o’s failure to comply with the court’s order stating that the 42-year-old Cameroon legend should pay her monthly upkeep of £1,167.

This article reviews the profile of Erika do Rosario Nieves, the estranged daughter of Samuel Eto’o.

Erika Nieves: 3 things to know about the legal battle between Samuel Eto’o and his daughter

1. Who is Erika Nieves?

As mentioned earlier, Erica do Rosario Nieves is the daughter of Cameroon football legend Samuel Eto’o (father) and a Spanish woman named Adileusa do Rosario (mother).

She was born in 1999 in the Alarcón Foundation hospital in Madrid 

The Sun reports that Erika’s mum, Adileusa, was said to have met Eto’o at a nightclub in Madrid in 1997.

That was when the former striker was playing for Leganes, a club based near the city.

A relationship between Eto’o and Adileusa ensued leading to her pregnancy.

According to the lawsuit stated by Spanish press agency EFE, Adileusa then discovered in February 1998 that she was pregnant.

The lawsuit also added that the former footballer ‘told her that he would act responsibly with respect to the common child, although he preferred that she did not give birth to the child.’

2. The legal battle involving Erika’s paternity started in 2018

Erika Rosario’s mother, Adileusa began the lawsuit in 2018 as she provided biological evidence that supported her testimony that Erika was the daughter of Eto’o.

Eto’o is said not to have engaged with the court at any point during proceedings and was absent during the decision.

In 2022, the court eventually ruled that Eto’o must now pay allowance, totalling €1,400 (£1,167) per month, to the young woman which is dated back to the moment that the lawsuit was filed.

Court No. 83 in Madrid reached the verdict in February 2022 to conclude the legal battle.

However, to date, Samuel Eto’o has never publicly acknowledged that he is indeed Erika Rosario’s father.

3. Why is Erika Rosario suing her father?

Pulse Sports reported that the 22-year-old daughter of Samuel Eto’o is suing her father due to his failure to pay her support fees as ruled by the court in 2022.

After Erika was pronoucned as Samuel Eto’o’s daughter in 2022, after multiple refusals by the former Cameroonian striker to undergo DNA tests, the judge later established a pension of €1,400 per month to be paid by the FECAFOOT president.

However, the young woman alleges that Eto’o never made good on the court ruling.

"He owes more than five years of pension to his daughter and continues to defy justice. Erika's economy is fragile while Eto'o lives in luxury,” says Fernando Osuna, the lawyer of Eto’o’s daughter, in statements collected by 'El Diario de Sevilla.

The defense of Eto’o’s daughter, Erika do Rosario requests the application of "the aggravating factors of recidivism and abuse of authority given the superiority it has over the young woman." 

Recall that Eto'o was already sentenced to one year and 10 months for a tax offence in the national territory, and to a financial fine for the non-payment of maintenance to another of his daughters born out of wedlock.

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