Samuel Eto’o has thrown his weight behind Gianni Infantino as a growing European revolt threatens to reshape FIFA’s leadership. The FECAFOOT president says Africa cannot afford to surrender hard-won influence and resources, turning a dispute over a scrapped $20 billion investment plan into a much bigger battle for football’s future.
By Sports Reporter
Cameroon Football Federation (FECAFOOT) president Samuel Eto’o has emerged as one of FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s most vocal defenders, seeking to rally African delegates behind the embattled global football chief as European governing bodies move to challenge him over a controversial plan to sell commercial stakes in the World Cup.
The dispute centres on Infantino’s controversial proposal, dubbed FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), to establish a R320 billion ($20 billion) commercial subsidiary and sell up to a 20% stake, valued at about R67 billion ($4.2 billion), to private equity investors.
Although FIFA officially withdrew the initiative following fierce opposition led by UEFA, CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), the political fallout has continued to escalate. UEFA has launched discovery requests in US courts seeking internal FIFA documents and has signalled its intention to file criminal complaints in Swiss courts alleging financial mismanagement.
Eto’o Defends the Scrapped Investment Deal
Speaking in interviews with CNN Sports and L’Équipe, the four-time African Player of the Year argued that Infantino was not wrong to put forward the investment plan. Eto’o maintained that private equity capital was intended to help bridge the enormous financial divide between wealthy European football powers and resource-starved developing nations.
“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 up. [The proposal] is even very good for the African nations, because it would allow us—should allow us if it went all the way through—to truly compete with the big nations.”
Confronting European Hegemony
Eto’o has taken direct aim at the European opposition, arguing that UEFA’s legal manoeuvring reflects regional self-interest rather than a genuine concern about transparency and global football governance.
He pointed to the stark financial realities confronting African football, where some national associations operate on annual budgets of just R2.8 million (€150,000).
“When you see some federations with budgets of €150,000, how can they compete against the big countries?” Eto’o remarked to L’Équipe. “We will never be able to have the same perception of things as the big countries. Europe looks out for its own interests, too, under pressure from clubs. Why should we be judged for looking out for ours?”
Eto’o argued that access to annual capital injections of between R320 million ($20 million) and R638 million ($40 million) could allow African federations to develop world-class training facilities and create the conditions needed to retain elite young talent.
He cited players such as Kylian Mbappé and Aurélien Tchouaméni as examples of the kind of talent African football could potentially retain if national associations had the financial resources to develop comparable infrastructure and competitive environments.
Tangible FIFA Backing in Africa
Eto’o’s support for Infantino is also rooted in several policy changes implemented during the FIFA president’s tenure.
Expanded World Cup access: Africa’s allocation for the expanded 48-team World Cup increased from five to nine direct places.
Local infrastructure projects: FIFA Forward grants have provided direct funding for FECAFOOT’s headquarters in Yaoundé and technical training centres across Cameroon.
Institutional parity: FIFA has increased the voting power and institutional influence of non-European member associations within its Congress, strengthening the voice of developing football nations in global decision-making.
For Eto’o and many African football administrators, those changes form part of a broader argument that Infantino’s leadership has shifted FIFA’s financial and political centre of gravity beyond Europe.
Election Politics Ahead of 2027
Eto’o has dismissed calls for Infantino to resign or face a vote of no confidence, linking the intensifying criticism from European football authorities and the media to political manoeuvring ahead of the FIFA presidential election scheduled for March 18, 2027.
With the Confederation of African Football (CAF) formally reaffirming its support for Infantino, Eto’o’s intervention highlights the increasingly geopolitical nature of the struggle over FIFA’s future leadership.
European opposition is growing, with national associations including the Dutch Football Association calling for an international summit to consider new leadership. In Africa, however, Infantino continues to enjoy significant support from football administrators who see his leadership and the existing financial distribution model as offering developing football nations greater influence and resources.
The battle over the abandoned investment proposal has therefore evolved into something larger than a dispute over one commercial transaction. It has become a contest over who controls the direction of global football — and whether the balance of power that has historically favoured Europe is finally beginning to shift.