Samuel Eto’o, president of the Cameroon Football Federation and a prominent figure in African football, defended FIFA president Gianni Infantino on Monday, stating that Infantino had done nothing “wrong” following his abandoned plan to open football’s governing body to private investors.
Infantino “has helped our continent. He has helped our federations develop much faster, and we have to recognize that,” the 45-year-old former Barcelona and Inter Milan striker said in an interview with CNN. “We should support him for everything he has accomplished so far.”
“President Gianni Infantino has changed football,” Eto’o insisted. “He has given opportunities to nations that had not had those opportunities to participate in the greatest tournament, the World Cup.”
Infantino’s plan to open FIFA to private investors divided the football world, and its withdrawal did not ease tensions surrounding criticism of the Italian-Swiss official’s leadership as he seeks re-election in March 2027.
While the European (UEFA), Asian (AFC), and North American (Concacaf) confederations have called for Infantino to step down, the African Football Confederation (CAF) unanimously backed him in a statement issued in early August.
Gianni Infantino, président de la FIFA. Getty Images via AFP
Eto’o said he believed “all of this happened because there are elections coming,” with Infantino is currently the only declared candidate.
“I don’t think President Gianni Infantino did anything wrong,” the former international striker added regarding the highly criticized and ultimately abandoned plan. He even called for it to be “put back on the table” if Infantino is re-elected.
Eto’o also stated that with resources redistributed more fairly under Infantino’s proposed plan, Cameroon would have the means to attract top talent. “We want to see (Lionel) Messis and (Kylian) Mbappés, but I would like to see Mbappé play for Cameroon,” he said, referencing the fact that the French star’s father was born in Cameroon.
