Cameroon Football Federation president Samuel Eto’o urged African football federations to support FIFA president Gianni Infantino, crediting him with accelerating their growth and helping more African countries compete at the World Cup [1, 2, 3]. Eto’o said, "President Gianni Infantino has changed football. Mr. Infantino has helped our continent. He has helped our federations develop much more quickly, and we have to recognise that. We should support him for everything he has achieved so far" [1, 2, 3].
Eto’o highlighted the financial challenges African federations face, noting some operate on budgets as low as 150,000 euros. "When you see some federations with budgets of 150,000 euros, how can they compete against the big countries?" he asked [1, 2, 3]. He pointed out that limited resources contribute to African football losing talent to Europe [1, 2, 3].
The Cameroonian also noted that African football federations often rely heavily on government funding and cannot be expected to align with FIFA policies in the same manner as wealthier federations with larger budgets [1, 2, 3].
Africa secured nine direct places at the expanded 48-team 2026 World Cup in Canada, Mexico, and the United States, up from five spots at the 2022 Qatar tournament, a development Eto’o associates with Infantino’s leadership [1, 2, 3]. He said Infantino "has given opportunities to nations that had never had the chance to take part in the greatest tournament of all, the World Cup" [3].
However, Infantino and FIFA remain under scrutiny from UEFA, which opposed FIFA’s former plan to transfer commercial rights of major tournaments to a subsidiary with outside investors. Though FIFA withdrew the proposal, UEFA is pursuing legal avenues, seeking evidence through a U.S. court for a potential criminal complaint against Infantino and others in Switzerland [1, 2, 3].
Infantino announced he will seek re-election as FIFA president at the FIFA Congress scheduled for March 18, 2027 [1, 2, 3].
