Eto’o urges Africa to back Infantino over FIFA reforms

Cameroon Football Federation president Samuel Eto’o has thrown his support behind Gianni Infantino’s bid for another term as FIFA president, arguing that the Swiss official has transformed African football by expanding World Cup opportunities and accelerating the development of national associations.

Speaking to French newspaper L’Equipe, the former Cameroon captain said African football leaders should recognise Infantino’s contribution to the continent and unite behind him ahead of the 2027 FIFA presidential election.

“President Gianni Infantino has changed football,” Eto’o said. “He has helped our continent. He has helped our federations develop much more quickly, and we have to recognise that.”

Eto’o’s endorsement comes at a time when relations between FIFA and UEFA have become increasingly strained, highlighting a growing divide between the priorities of African and European football administrators.

The four-time African Footballer of the Year pointed to FIFA’s decision to expand the men’s World Cup from 32 to 48 teams as a major benefit for Africa.

The continent was allocated nine direct qualification places for the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico, up from five at the 2022 tournament in Qatar.

“He has given opportunities to nations that had never had the chance to take part in the greatest tournament of all, the World Cup,” Eto’o added.

Infantino has already confirmed he intends to seek re-election at the FIFA Congress on 18 March 2027.

UEFA dispute over FIFA governance

Eto’o’s remarks stand in sharp contrast to UEFA’s recent criticism of FIFA’s governance.

European football’s governing body opposed FIFA’s now-abandoned proposal to transfer the commercial rights of the men’s and women’s World Cups, as well as the Club World Cup, to a new subsidiary called FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), which would have allowed outside investors to acquire a stake.

Although FIFA has since scrapped the project, UEFA continues to question how the proposal was handled. The organisation has sought permission from a United States court to obtain evidence that could support a potential criminal complaint in Switzerland against Infantino and other FIFA officials.

UEFA has also pledged to work with stakeholders on an alternative approach to distributing development funds through the existing FIFA Forward programme.

Funding gap remains Africa’s biggest challenge

Eto’o argued that African football’s financial realities make it impossible for its federations to view FIFA policies through the same lens as Europe’s wealthiest associations.

Many African federations, he said, operate on modest budgets and remain heavily dependent on government funding.

“When you see some federations with budgets of 150,000 euros, how can they compete against the big countries?” Eto’o said. “We will never be able to have the same perception of things as the big countries.”

The former Barcelona and Inter Milan striker also suggested that limited investment has contributed to Africa losing talented players with African heritage to European national teams.

“If we in Cameroon had the possibility of relying on a budget of $20 million or $40 million per year, of course we would have had players like Kylian Mbappe and Aurelien Tchouameni,” he said, referring to the France internationals who have Cameroonian family ties.

While acknowledging UEFA’s significant contribution to world football, Eto’o insisted that Europe’s influence should not eclipse the needs and importance of other confederations.

“UEFA is an important confederation for FIFA. It contributes enormously to football, but it should not be considered the only or the most important confederation,” he said.