Eto’o backs Infantino as pressure mounts on FIFA president
Samuel Eto’o, the former Cameroon striker and current president of the Cameroon Football Federation (FECAFOOT), has publicly thrown his support behind FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who is facing mounting calls to step down, according to Al Jazeera.
Eto’o, one of Africa’s most decorated footballers and a four-time African Player of the Year, has held the presidency of FECAFOOT since 2021. His backing for Infantino comes at a time when the Swiss-Italian football administrator is under intensifying scrutiny, with critics from within the global game urging him to resign.
Infantino, who was elected FIFA president in 2016 following the exit of Sepp Blatter, has presided over a period of significant commercial expansion for world football’s governing body. That tenure, however, has not been free of controversy, and pressure on his leadership has reportedly grown in recent months.
As the head of a prominent African federation, Eto’o’s endorsement carries symbolic weight on a continent that has been a key voting bloc in FIFA governance. African member associations have historically played a decisive role in FIFA presidential elections, and their support has often shaped the direction of the organisation’s leadership.
The intervention underscores how the debate over Infantino’s future is unfolding not only in European media but across FIFA’s broader membership, where federations in Africa, Asia and South America have continued to engage with his administration even as criticism mounts in other quarters.
Sources
This report was written from coverage published by the following news organisations. Follow the links for the original reporting.
- Al Jazeera — Samuel Eto’o urges support for embattled FIFA President Gianni Infantino
- The Africa Report — FIFA election: Is Africa united behind Gianni Infantino?
