Samuel Eto’o urges support for embattled FIFA President Gianni Infantino

Former star striker, now head of Cameroon’s football association, backs Infantino despite mounting pressure on him to resign. Former Cameroon star Samuel Eto’o has thrown his support behind beleaguered FIFA President Gianni Infantino , saying he “hasn’t done anything wrong” despite facing mounting pressure to step down over a controversial World Cup selloff plan. Infantino has come under intense scrutiny since the collapse of a proposal to secure private investment in FIFA tournaments, including the World Cup. UEFA, which oversees European football, has threatened a boycott of FIFA competitions, with several continental and national federations also withdrawing their support for Infantino. The FIFA president remains under pressure, with the possibility of a no-confidence vote being triggered.

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Scoop News DeskCameroon · Published Monday, August 24, 2026 at 3:15 PM UTCUpdated Tuesday, August 25, 2026 at 1:55 PM UTC

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However, Eto’o, president of the Cameroonian Football Federation, dismissed criticism of Infantino’s leadership, suggesting the backlash was driven largely by political manoeuvring ahead of FIFA’s presidential election next year. “I don’t think that President Gianni Infantino has done anything wrong,” the former Barcelona, Inter Milan and Chelsea striker told CNN. “I think the timing of all of that is because there’s an election coming out.” Infantino’s plan, which would reportedly have distributed substantial funding to FIFA’s 211 member associations, faced strong opposition from several confederations and was ultimately abandoned.

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