Cameroon Football Federation President Samuel Eto’o has defended his decision to support Gianni Infantino in the forthcoming FIFA presidential election, arguing that the FIFA president has expanded opportunities for African countries to develop football.
Eto’o, a former Cameroon international, told L’Équipe that African football federations operate under vastly different financial conditions from their European counterparts, making it difficult for them to share the same perspective on FIFA’s policies and priorities.
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“We can never have the same perception of things. When you see some federations with budgets of €150,000, how can they compete with the big countries?” Eto’o said.
The former Barcelona and Inter Milan striker highlighted FIFA’s Forward programme, which provides financial support to member associations for football development.
Eto’o said the programme had helped finance the headquarters of the Cameroonian Football Federation and could play a significant role in developing more football talent across Africa.
“Today, President Infantino is giving Africans the opportunity to dream of developing football,” he added.
Eto’o also addressed the growing tensions between Infantino and UEFA over the FIFA president’s plans for the organisation and the distribution of football’s financial resources.
While acknowledging UEFA’s significant contribution to global football, Eto’o rejected the idea that the European confederation should have the final say on FIFA affairs.
“UEFA is an important confederation for FIFA and contributes enormously to football, but it should not be regarded as the only confederation or the most important one,” he said.
Eto’o also defended Infantino amid controversy over a proposal to open part of the World Cup’s commercial rights to private investors, arguing that such major decisions should ultimately be determined democratically by FIFA’s 211 member associations.
For Eto’o, greater financial support remains critical to the development of football in Africa.
“If we don’t have money, we cannot develop football,” he said.
Despite growing criticism of Infantino and the prospect of a competitive FIFA presidential election in March 2027, Eto’o said his position remains unchanged.
“I will support him,” the Cameroon federation president said.
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