"All of this has happened because there's an election coming up. That's all there is." Samuel Eto'o isn't mincing words about the campaign building against Gianni Infantino — and the Cameroon federation president thinks it's less about reform and more about replacing a man who's up for re-election in March 2027.
Eto'o made the comments to CNN on Monday, wading into a genuinely messy moment for FIFA. Infantino tabled — then abandoned — a proposal to sell a 20% stake in a commercial vehicle for FIFA tournament rights. That was enough to trigger withdrawal of support from several member nations and set UEFA, AFC, and CONCACAF quietly discussing a vote of no confidence.
Africa is holding the line
CAF isn't playing along. African football's governing body has stayed firmly in Infantino's corner, with CAF president Patrice Motsepe making clear the question of Infantino's future belongs at the ballot box in 2027, not in a boardroom maneuver before then. Eto'o's comments land in that same camp.
"The 211 members were supposed to sit down, debate the issue and let the majority win," Eto'o said. "But I am convinced that the voices that were raised, those are not the voices of the majority."
That's a pointed claim. And if true, it matters enormously — because a no-confidence vote only works if enough federations are genuinely on board, not just the loudest ones.
Eto'o also offered a broader defense of Infantino's record, arguing the FIFA president has opened doors for nations that previously had none. Coming from someone who played at Barcelona, Real Madrid, Inter Milan and Chelsea — and watched African football from both inside and outside elite European structures — it's not a throwaway endorsement.
Whether Infantino survives to 2027 now depends on whether the opposition can convert noise into numbers. Right now, CAF's bloc suggests he still has more allies than his critics want to admit.
