Former Cameroon international football star Samuel Eto'o has voiced strong support for FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who is facing mounting criticism over his leadership and the scrapped FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal.
In an interview with CNN released Monday, Eto'o rejected calls for Infantino to step down, arguing that the controversy surrounding the FIFA chief has been amplified by the approaching presidential election.
"I don't think that President Gianni Infantino has done anything wrong," Eto'o said regarding the FIFA president's conduct concerning the FFE plan.
The former Barcelona, Inter Milan, Chelsea, and Real Madrid striker, who has led the Cameroonian Football Federation since 2021, also defended the FFE proposal, saying it could have helped narrow the financial gap between football's biggest and smaller nations.
"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 Mbappes, but I would like to see Mbappe play for Cameroon," he said.
FIFA withdrew the controversial FFE proposal following widespread opposition, including criticism from UEFA, CONCACAF (North, Central America and Caribbean football authority), and the Asian Football Confederation. FIFA has also apologized for some of its actions and backed Infantino after a crisis meeting in Morocco last month.
Eto'o nevertheless argued that the proposal should be reconsidered if Infantino wins reelection.
"I remain convinced that, if there is a democratic vote, this project will be adopted because it's good for the majority."
Infantino has led FIFA since 2016 and is seeking another term in FIFA's March election, while potential challengers have until Nov. 18 to enter the race.
