Gianni Infantino did nothing “wrong”: Samuel Eto’o, president of the Cameroonian federation and figure in African football, on Monday gave his support to the boss of Fifa, increasingly lonely after his aborted project of opening up to private investors.
Mr. Infantino “helped our continent. He helped our federations develop much faster, and we must recognize that, said the former Barça and Inter Milan striker, 45, in an interview with CNN. We should support him for everything he has achieved so far.”
“President Gianni Infantino changed football,” he insisted. He gave opportunities to nations who had not had these opportunities to participate in the most beautiful tournament, the World Cup.
The project of opening up to private investors defended by Gianni Infantino has fractured the world of football, without its abandonment having eased tensions, against a backdrop of criticism surrounding the governance of the Italian-Swiss leader who is aiming for re-election in March 2027.
CAF unanimously supports Infantino
If the European (UEFA), Asian (AFC) and North American (Concacaf) confederations requested the departure of Mr. Infantino, the African Confederation (CAF) “unanimously” took its side, in a press release at the beginning of August.
Samuel Eto’o estimated that “all this happened because there are elections to come”, in which Gianni Infantino is for the moment the only declared candidate.
“I don’t think President Gianni Infantino did anything wrong,” added the former international striker about his much-criticized project, and ultimately abandoned, even calling for it to be “put back on the table” if Infantino is re-elected.
The ex-striker estimated that with the resources redistributed in a fairer way according to the plan proposed by Mr. Infantino, Cameroon would have the means to attract the best talents: “We want to see (Lionel) Messi, (Kylian) Mbappé, but I would like to see Mbappé play for Cameroon,” he declared, the father of the French star being born in Cameroon.
