Cameroon’s Eto’o says African federations should support Infantino

Cameroon's national football association head, Samuel Eto'o, has urged African football federations to back FIFA president Gianni Infantino, praising his efforts to boost the continent's associations and expand their chances to compete in the World Cup. Speaking to French publication L'Equipe, Eto'o highlighted Infantino's role in accelerating development across African football unions. He acknowledged that the FIFA chief's leadership has given underprivileged nations unprecedented access to the prestigious competition.

Eto'o's remarks diverge from UEFA's more contentious approach towards Infantino, suggesting a divide between African and European football leaders. The former Cameroon forward emphasized that Infantino has provided nations long denied World Cup opportunities with a genuine chance to participate. In addition, Infantino recently announced his intention to seek re-election at the upcoming FIFA Congress in March 2027.

Infantino's proposal to transfer commercial rights from the World Cups to a new entity, FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), with investors, was initially abandoned. FIFA has since retracted the plan, but UEFA has continued to dispute its implementation and has sought legal action against Infantino and other FIFA officials. UEFA also plans to propose a new resource allocation system through the current FIFA Forward program.

However, Eto'o pointed out that African federations lack the financial muscle of wealthier football nations, making it difficult for them to compete. He suggested that if African teams had more funding, they could attract and retain top talents like Kylian Mbappe and Aurelien Tchouameni, who have strong ties to Cameroon. While UEFA remains a crucial confederation within FIFA, Eto'o stressed that it should not be the sole or dominant force in the organization.