Samuel Eto’o Challenges UEFA and Backs Gianni Infantino: “He’s Giving Africans the Chance to Dream”

Samuel Eto’o has come out in support of Gianni Infantino, insisting the FIFA president has created new opportunities for African football as pressure from UEFA continues to grow.

Samuel Eto’o Defends Gianni Infantino

Amid growing tensions between FIFA and UEFA, Samuel Eto’o has chosen to publicly back Gianni Infantino. The president of the Cameroon Football Federation (FECAFOOT) defended FIFA’s top official and argued that his leadership has created important opportunities for the development of African football.

In an interview with L’Équipe, the former striker said Africa has seen tangible benefits during Infantino’s tenure.

His argument centers on a fundamental difference between federations with significant financial resources and those still struggling to build competitive infrastructure. From that perspective, Eto'o believes Infantino has helped change the possibilities for African football.

“Infantino is giving Africans the chance to dream”

One of Eto’o’s strongest messages was his defense of the impact FIFA programs have had in Africa. The former footballer particularly highlighted the FIFA Forward program, through which federations receive funding for football development and infrastructure projects.

“Today, President Infantino is giving Africans the opportunity to dream of developing football,” Eto’o said, according to his comments reported by L’Équipe.

The FECAFOOT president highlighted infrastructure projects and the impact these resources could have on developing new generations of footballers. He even mentioned Roger Milla and Kylian Mbappé as examples of the talent Africa could develop with greater investment.

Eto’o also stressed the huge economic gap between African federations and Europe’s major football powers. According to him, some associations operate with budgets of around $175,000, meaning greater funding could help countries such as Cameroon develop and retain talents like Mbappé and Aurélien Tchouaméni, both of whom have family ties to Cameroon.

Eto’o Challenges UEFA’s Influence at FIFA

Eto'o acknowledged UEFA’s enormous importance and its contribution to world football, but rejected the idea that Europe should have a dominant role in every FIFA decision.

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

The Cameroonian official also defended the role of FIFA’s 211 member associations, arguing that decisions should go through the organization’s established governance mechanisms rather than depend solely on the position of one confederation.

He also said that, in some cases, as much as 95% or 100% of funding can come from governments, reflecting the major economic differences between football regions around the world.

Eto’o Confirms He Will Back Infantino in FIFA Election

Samuel Eto’o confirmed that he will continue to support Gianni Infantino ahead of the FIFA presidential election, scheduled for March 18, 2027.

The Cameroonian official acknowledged that every election carries risks and that a candidate can lose, but made it clear that this would not change his position.

His defense is also tied to his belief that money generated by major competitions should be reinvested into football development. Eto’o highlighted the revenues generated by the 2022 Qatar World Cup and the 2026 North American World Cup, arguing that those earnings are essential to funding the sport’s continued growth.