FIFA president Gianni Infantino has fundamentally transformed global football by expanding tournament access for nations that had not had these opportunities to participate in the World Cup, according to Cameroonian Football Federation president Samuel Eto’o. In an interview with CNN, Eto’o defended the governing body leader amid criticism over an abandoned project to open to private investors and governance disputes ahead of the March 2027 presidential election.
Defending Infantino Amid Global Pushback
Gianni Infantino faces pressure from several major confederations following a project to open to private investors. The initiative fractured the world of football and prompted demands for his departure from the European governing body UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and Concacaf. Despite the opposition, Samuel Eto’o stepped forward to back the Italian-Swiss administrator, arguing that this happened because there are upcoming elections where Infantino stands as the sole declared candidate.
According to AllAfrica coverage of the CNN interview, Eto’o insisted that the FIFA president has not done anything wrong. The former Barcelona and Inter Milan striker emphasized that Infantino has aided African football development and helped federations develop much more quickly. The Confederation of African Football (CAF) previously issued a statement in early August stating it stood “unanimously” by the president.
Expanding the World Cup and Resource Redistribution
Central to Eto’o’s endorsement is the expansion of the FIFA World Cup. By giving opportunities to nations that had not had these opportunities to participate in the tournament, Infantino has changed football, according to the 45-year-old Cameroonian federation chief. Eto’o argued that the contested project to open to private investors, which was ultimately abandoned without quieting tensions, featured a fairer redistribution of resources that should be put back on the table if Infantino is re-elected in March 2027.
Eto’o noted that with resources redistributed in a fairer way, as proposed by M. Infantino, Cameroon would have the means to attract the best talents. Highlighting his ambitions for his home nation, the federation president remarked that while the world marvels at superstars like Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé, he would like to see Mbappé play for Cameroon, given that the player’s father was born in Cameroon.
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