DistantNews
Support us
Eto'o Backs Infantino, Urges Reconsideration of World Cup Privatization
🇲🇽 Mexico /Economy & Trade

Eto'o Backs Infantino, Urges Reconsideration of World Cup Privatization

From El Universal · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources New plan
  • Samuel Eto'o reaffirmed his support for FIFA President Gianni Infantino, urging him to reconsider privatizing the World Cup.
  • Eto'o believes Infantino has positively impacted football by increasing opportunities for nations previously excluded from the World Cup.
  • The Cameroonian football federation plans to submit a motion to FIFA to re-examine the privatization proposal, which Eto'o feels was rejected due to organized media opposition rather than a lack of majority support.

Samuel Eto'o, the president of the Cameroonian Football Federation, has publicly declared his continued backing for FIFA President Gianni Infantino. Eto'o urged Infantino to bring back the proposal for the privatization of the World Cup for a vote by the member associations.

President Gianni Infantino will continue to enjoy my support and the support of my federation.

— Samuel Eto'oReaffirming his support for the FIFA president in an interview with CNN.

"President Gianni Infantino will continue to enjoy my support and the support of my federation," Eto'o stated in an interview with CNN. The former star player praised Infantino for transforming football and creating opportunities for nations that previously lacked access to the World Cup. He specifically highlighted the privatization proposal as beneficial for African nations.

Eto'o expressed regret that Infantino withdrew the project due to what he described as "organized media coverage" opposing the idea. He asserted that the voices against the proposal did not represent the majority of FIFA's 211 members. Consequently, Eto'o announced that his federation would present a motion to FIFA to have the proposal re-evaluated.

He has changed football and given opportunities to nations that did not have them to participate in the most beautiful of competitions, the World Cup.

— Samuel Eto'oPraising Infantino's impact on global football accessibility.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) had previously supported Infantino's privatization idea, contrasting with strong opposition from UEFA federations. Eto'o remains convinced that the project would have been transformative for African countries, helping to rebalance football's power structure and retain talent within the continent.

He made a proposal. The 211 members were supposed to sit down, debate the issue and let the majority win. But I am convinced that the voices that rose up are not the voices of the majority.

— Samuel Eto'oExplaining his view on why the privatization proposal was withdrawn and the need for re-examination.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by El Universal in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog