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Former Cameroon striker Samuel Eto’o has defended FIFA president Gianni Infantino, saying the Swiss football administrator has done nothing wrong despite growing calls for his resignation over a controversial plan involving private investment in FIFA competitions.
Infantino has faced mounting criticism after a proposal to attract external funding for FIFA tournaments, including the World Cup, collapsed. The plan, which was expected to provide significant financial support to FIFA’s 211 member associations, faced opposition from several football confederations and was eventually abandoned.
UEFA, European football’s governing body, has been among the strongest critics of Infantino’s leadership, threatening a boycott of FIFA competitions. Several national and continental federations have also withdrawn their backing for the FIFA president, and a no-confidence vote is reportedly being considered.
However, Eto’o, who now leads the Cameroonian football federation, has rejected the criticism, saying the pressure on Infantino is linked to political interests ahead of next year’s FIFA presidential election.
“I don’t think that President Gianni Infantino has done anything wrong,” Eto’o told CNN. “I think the timing of all of that is because there’s an election coming out.”
The former Barcelona, Inter Milan and Chelsea forward also praised Infantino’s impact on global football, particularly his efforts to expand opportunities for smaller nations.
“President Gianni Infantino has changed football,” Eto’o said, adding that the FIFA president had created more chances for countries that previously struggled to qualify for major tournaments.
“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’s comments follow the Confederation of African Football’s decision earlier this month to unanimously reaffirm its support for Infantino. He said African football federations should recognise the FIFA president’s contributions to the continent’s development.
“He has helped our continent. He’s helped our federations to develop much more quickly, and we need to acknowledge that,” Eto’o said.
Infantino remains under pressure as FIFA faces internal divisions over its future direction, with UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation and CONCACAF among those expressing concerns about the organisation’s leadership.
