Samuel Eto’o says election timing behind criticism of Fifa president Gianni Infantino

Cameroon football federation president Samuel Eto’o has defended Gianni Infantino, saying the backlash against the Fifa president is being driven by the timing of the organisation’s next election.

Infantino is seeking re-election in March 2027 and has faced criticism after proposing that a 20% stake in a commercial body for Fifa tournament rights should be sold. The proposal has since been abandoned, while several countries have withdrawn their support for his candidacy.

Eto’o, Cameroon’s all-time leading goalscorer, said the opposition to Infantino was linked primarily to the upcoming vote.

“I think all these things are happening because of the timing. There’s an election coming up where Gianni Infantino is standing. All of this has happened because there’s an election coming up. That’s all there is,” Eto’o told CNN in an interview broadcast on Monday.

A number of regional football organisations, including Uefa, AFC and Concacaf, are considering whether to bring forward a vote of no confidence aimed at removing Infantino.

However, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has backed the Fifa president. CAF president Patrice Motsepe said earlier this month that Infantino’s future should be determined by the 2027 election and confirmed that he continued to have the organisation’s support.

Eto’o, who represented Real Madrid, Barcelona, Inter Milan and Chelsea during his playing career, said Infantino had brought about changes in football and created opportunities for countries that had previously lacked them.

“The president’s job is to take football further, to make all of the nations grow,” he said.

“He made a proposal. The 211 members were supposed to sit down, debate the issue and let the majority win. But I am convinced that the voices that were raised, those are not the voices of the majority.”

Infantino’s proposed commercial arrangement became a source of tension among members of Fifa, but Eto’o argued that the proposal should have been considered through discussion among all 211 member associations before any decision was reached.

The former striker’s comments come as the debate over Infantino’s leadership intensifies ahead of the 2027 election. While some confederations are examining formal opposition to his presidency, CAF has made clear that it believes he should remain in place until members decide his future at the scheduled election.

Eto’o’s public support places him alongside the African governing body in backing Infantino, whose leadership has become increasingly contested following the abandoned commercial proposal and the loss of support from several countries.