Samuel Eto’o’s Infantino claims face scrutiny in Africa

Samuel Eto’o has become one of Gianni Infantino’s most visible African supporters ahead of the FIFA presidential election scheduled for 18 March 2027 in Rabat. His position is drawing scrutiny because the CAF bloc, with 54 votes, represents more than a quarter of FIFA’s electoral college and is a key base for the incumbent.

In a series of interviews, the FECAFOOT president argued that Infantino has given African football greater room to develop through funding. He said budgets of 20 million or 40 million could have helped produce players such as Kylian Mbappe and Aurélien Tchouaméni. Eto’o also cited FIFA Forward support linked to the construction of FECAFOOT’s headquarters. The project had initially been financed internally and was nearing completion before his tenure, while the federation later took on about 2.5 billion CFA francs in borrowing from UBA to finish it.

His current stance differs from his position in February 2020, when he opposed Infantino’s proposal to move the Africa Cup of Nations to a four-year cycle and questioned how African football would fund the change. He later supported the recommendation, which was ultimately adopted by the CAF executive committee.

CAF announced unanimous backing for Infantino on 6 August 2026 after FIFA addressed complaints about FIFA Forward Enterprise. That unity has been questioned: four executive members openly supported him during the meeting, while most remained silent. Eto’o had also backed Ahmad Ahmad against Issa Hayatou in the 2017 CAF election, won by Ahmad 34-20, before becoming his adviser.