Samuel Eto’o, president of the Cameroon Football Federation, has called on African football leaders to rally behind FIFA President Gianni Infantino. Eto’o credited Infantino with accelerating the development of the continent’s football associations and expanding access to the sport’s most prestigious competition.
“President Gianni Infantino has changed football,” Eto’o stated during an interview with the French sports publication L’Equipe. He emphasized that the FIFA leader has provided opportunities to nations that previously had no path to participate in the World Cup. Eto’o added that Infantino has significantly aided the growth of African federations, arguing that his achievements warrant continued support.
This endorsement arrives as Infantino prepares to seek re-election at the upcoming FIFA Congress, scheduled for March 18, 2027. The impact of recent FIFA reforms was visible during the most recent expanded 48-team World Cup held in Canada, Mexico, and the United States, where Africa was granted nine direct qualification spots, up from five in the 2022 Qatar tournament.
Eto’o’s stance highlights a growing divide between African football leadership and UEFA, which has adopted an increasingly confrontational approach toward the FIFA president. While UEFA has challenged FIFA’s governance, particularly regarding a now-abandoned plan to transfer commercial rights to a subsidiary known as FIFA Forward Enterprise, Eto’o maintains that European perspectives do not reflect the realities faced by African nations.
The former Cameroon forward noted that many African federations operate with limited budgets, sometimes as low as 150,000 euros, making it difficult to compete with wealthier nations. He argued that these financial constraints prevent African teams from retaining top-tier talent. “If we in Cameroon had the possibility of relying on a budget of $20m or $40m per year, of course we would have had players like Kylian Mbappe and Aurelien Tchouameni,” Eto’o said, referencing the French international stars who hold Cameroonian family ties.
Addressing the friction with European leadership, Eto’o acknowledged that while UEFA is a significant contributor to the global game, it should not be viewed as the sole or primary authority within FIFA. He suggested that African federations must prioritize their own development needs, which often rely heavily on government funding, rather than aligning with the priorities of wealthier European football associations.
Despite the official withdrawal of the FIFA Forward Enterprise project, UEFA continues to seek evidence through US courts for a potential criminal complaint in Switzerland against Infantino and his advisors. Meanwhile, UEFA has stated it intends to work with stakeholders to develop alternative methods for distributing resources through the existing FIFA Forward programme. The report also notes that and we have to recognise that, he has helped our federations develop much more quickly. The report also notes that we should support him for everything he has achieved so far.”.
Comments