Meknes – Samuel Eto’o, the president of Cameroon’s football federation and its top scorer of all time, has stepped forward to back FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
Eto’o suggested that the growing pushback against the FIFA leader is simply political timing driven by the upcoming global presidential election rather than genuine issues with his leadership.
Infantino has faced growing criticism and lost the support of several member countries ahead of his March 2027 re-election bid, triggered by a controversial proposal to sell a 20% stake in FIFA’s commercial tournament rights.
Eto’o has come to the defense of Infantino amid calls for a vote of no confidence against the FIFA president.
“I think the timing of all of that is because there’s an election coming out, when Gianni Infantino is standing. All of this has happened because there’s an election coming out, that’s all there is,” Eto’o told CNN on Monday.
The former star striker went further to commend Infantino for transforming global football and creating new opportunities for developing nations.
“President Gianni Infantino has changed football. He’s given opportunities to nations that didn’t have those opportunities to take part in the most beautiful tournament, the World Cup. He enabled smaller nations to get seats at these competitions,” Eto’o added.
While several major continental governing bodies, including UEFA, AFC, and CONCACAF, are considering a no-confidence vote to remove Infantino, Africa’s football confederation, CAF, continues to back him.
CAF President Patrice Motsepe recently confirmed that the African governing body still supports Infantino, pointing out that his future as FIFA president should be determined at the 2027 elections.
For the time being, the FIFA president continues to hold his position. Even as fresh criticism mounts daily, supporters like Eto’o remain confident that he can navigate the pressure and retain his leadership.
