By Amaechi Agbo
President of Cameroon Football Federation (FECAFOOT), Samuel Eto’o has thrown his weight behind FIFA President Gianni Infantino, insisting that the embattled football chief has done nothing wrong despite growing calls for his resignation.
Infantino has faced mounting criticism following the collapse of a controversial proposal to attract private investment into FIFA competitions, including the World Cup.
The plan, which was expected to generate substantial funding for FIFA’s 211 member associations, reportedly encountered opposition from several confederations before being abandoned.
The fallout has intensified tensions within the global football governing body, with UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation and CONCACAF among those raising concerns over Infantino’s leadership.
UEFA has also threatened to boycott FIFA competitions, while pressure is mounting for a possible no-confidence vote against the FIFA president.
Eto’o, however, believes the controversy is being fuelled by 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 president of the Cameroon Football Federation also praised Infantino for what he described as his contribution to the development and expansion of the game, particularly in Africa and among smaller football nations.
“President Gianni Infantino has changed football,” Eto’o said, calling on African countries to continue supporting the Swiss-born administrator.
According to the former Barcelona, Inter Milan Everton and Chelsea striker, Infantino’s expansion of the World Cup has provided more nations with the opportunity to compete on football’s biggest stage.
“He’s given opportunities to nations that didn’t have those opportunities to take part in the most beautiful tournament, the World Cup,” Eto’o said. “He enabled smaller nations to get seats at these competitions.”
Eto’o further argued that Infantino’s leadership had helped African federations accelerate their development.
“He has helped our continent. He’s helped our federations to develop much more quickly, and we need to acknowledge that,” he added.
His comments are consistent with the position of the Confederation of African Football, which earlier this month unanimously reaffirmed its support for Infantino.
While opposition to the FIFA president continues to grow in parts of the football world, Eto’o believes Africa should recognise Infantino’s contributions and stand firmly behind his leadership.
“We need to accept and recognise what he’s done, and we should support him for everything he’s done up to now,” he said.
Never miss a moment! Get the stories shaping Nigeria, delivered straight to your phone. Follow Peoplesdaily Newspaper on WhatsApp for breaking news, exclusive reports, and the headlines everyone will be talking about, before anyone else.
