In an exclusive interview with CNN’s Amanda Davies, President of the Cameroonian Football Federation and famed former player, Samuel Eto’o, shares his support for FIFA President Gianni Infantino, saying he hasn’t done anything wrong and called for the controversial FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal to be revisited.
https://www.digital.zenithbank.com/ZEQ/ZEQ-jan-2026/index.html#p=1Despite calls for Infantino to step down, he is still holding on to power with the FIFA presidential election fast approaching in March. Eto’o, once one of the best football players in the world, told Davies, “I don’t think that President Gianni Infantino has done anything wrong,” when asked about the FIFA president’s conduct regarding the FFE plan.
Eto’o told Davies the proposed plan would have helped distribute wealth in a fairer manner, allowing smaller nations to compete with the biggest in the world by having better facilities and resources. He said it would have helped teams like Cameroon to attract the best players in the world, such as Kylian Mbappé, who was born in France but has Cameroonian heritage through his father.
“There are federations in other continents that are in the same situation as us, that find themselves more or less at the same financial level as us to develop the football that we love so much. We want to see the (Lionel) Messis, we want to see the Mbappés, but I would like to see Mbappé play for Cameroon.”
Key quotes from Eto’o:
On backing Gianni Infantino:
“I don’t think that President Gianni Infantino has done anything wrong … I think the timing of all of that is because there’s an election coming out, when Gianni Infantino is standing. All of this has happened because there’s an election coming out, that’s all there is.”
On revisiting the controversial failed FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) plan:
“The bigger nations took up the media space. They gave their point of view, and President Gianni Infantino wanted to keep the family of football together, and he decided to withdraw the project. … I remain convinced that for us as Africans, this project was something that could have been incredible. It would have reset the balance of power in football to ensure that our talent doesn’t disappear and end up playing for other nations. … At the end of the day, those who have talked about the project and who’ve given their opinion haven’t properly read what it’s all about, and in some cases, they looked at it from their dominant position. … I want to see all of my colleagues, all of the presidents, re-reading the project. After President Infantino is re-elected, we will have the strength to ask for this project to be put back on the table for discussion. I remain convinced that, if there is a democratic vote, this project will be adopted because it’s good for the majority.”
On Infantino’s influence:
“President Gianni Infantino has changed football. He’s given opportunities to nations that didn’t have those opportunities to take part in the most beautiful tournament, the World Cup. He enabled smaller nations to get seats at these competitions. He has helped our continent. He’s helped our federations to develop much more quickly, and we need to acknowledge that. We need to accept and recognize what he’s done, and we should support him for everything he’s done up to now.”
