Arya News - 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.
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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.
The FIFA president remains under pressure, with the possibility of a no-confidence vote being triggered. UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) have all voiced concerns over FIFA’s direction in recent weeks.
But the Confederation of African Football (CAF) earlier this month “unanimously reconfirmed its support” for Infantino, and Eto’o’s backing is aligned with that position.
“President Gianni Infantino has changed football,” said Eto’o, urging fellow African countries to support the Swiss official.
“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 recognise what he’s done, and we should support him for everything he’s done up to now.”
‘Blinded by power’
Meanwhile, a group of former international players, including World Cup winners and FIFA legends, called on Monday for immediate change at FIFA, saying its leadership under embattled Infantino had been blinded by power.
“We share the exact same concerns as the millions of fans around the world,” said former players including France’s 1998 men’s World Cup winners Emmanuel Petit, Bixente Lizarazu and Robert Pires as well as American former women’s world champion Briana Scurry and former England international Lucy Bronze.
“Like them, we have watched the game we love drift away from its core values under FIFA’s current leadership. Change is necessary. Power has blurred the current leadership’s ability to distinguish between its own interests and what is best for football,” the group said.
The group also includes former Peru forward Claudio Pizarro, former Argentina international Juan Sebastian Veron, former Togo captain Emmanuel Adebayor, and FIFA legends Didier Drogba and David James.
FIFA legends are former players recognised for their contributions to the sport who help promote football on behalf of the global body, playing in exhibition matches and supporting social and charity projects worldwide.
“We call on all stakeholders to step forward and help reshape the future of our sport. There are good people within FIFA who want to rebuild trust, but a new era requires a structural change: a real, direct say for players and fans in how football is run,” the group said.
Infantino is up for re-election next year, but world football’s regional powerhouses are discussing whether to move a vote of no confidence in him ahead of the ballot, senior figures familiar with the discussions told the Reuters news agency last week.
“Those who step onto the pitch and those who sit in the stands deserve a genuine voice to help reshape football’s future together. For the fans, for the players, and for the good of the game, we will be silent no more,” the players’ group said.