UEFA’s Ceferin has decided against a bid for the FIFA presidency, while Infantino is contacting less affluent associations
FIFA President Gianni Infantino presented his manifesto for reelection on Sunday, positioning himself as the advocate for less affluent soccer nations. Meanwhile, UEFA chief Aleksander Ceferin confirmed he would not challenge Infantino but expressed his belief that an opposing candidate would emerge.
Nearly a month has passed since Infantino presented his now-defunct proposal to establish a commercial entity for FIFA tournament rights and allocate 20% to private investors. The struggle for the future of global governance in the world’s most beloved sport continues unabated.
European governing body UEFA, supported by the regional blocs for Asia (AFC) and North and Central America and the Caribbean (CONCACAF), has taken a stand against Infantino, with Ceferin suggesting that he should consider stepping down. “There are two options,” he stated on “The Rest Is Politics: Leading” podcast. One option is that he recognizes he lacks support—not just the political backing of those who vote, but also the political support from the football community, fans, players, former players, and coaches. “The second option is that he proceeds to the elections in March; however, in that scenario, I believe he will face a challenger. I am still uncertain about who.
Reuters has reached out to FIFA for a response regarding Ceferin’s remarks about Infantino and the international governing body of the sport.
Sources familiar with the process informed Reuters last week that UEFA, the AFC, and CONCACAF were contemplating a third option—a vote of no confidence in Infantino prior to the ballot scheduled for March next year.
Slovenian Ceferin believed that his lack of contact with Infantino since the controversy began and his disinterest in succeeding the Swiss administrator enhanced his credibility.
RESISTANCE FROM EUROPE’S LESSER-POWERED NATIONS
Ceferin stated that the proposal posed a more significant threat to the sport than the European Super League initiative that UEFA successfully opposed in 2021, noting that the opposition came not only from Europe’s larger nations.
On one side were England and Germany, who understandably do not desire that, as this amount of money is not significant for them. However, on the opposing side were San Marino, Cyprus, and Liechtenstein… They stated, “We’re not for sale,” he added.
Infantino has demonstrated no intention of stepping down from the role he has occupied since 2016, clearly indicating that he is relying on his appeal to the less affluent national associations to secure reelection until 2031.
In a video interview published by FIFA following his meeting with members of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) in the Dominican Republic over the weekend, Infantino stated that it is FIFA’s responsibility to bridge the divide between affluent and less affluent associations.
Our goal is to expand football across each of our 211 countries globally,” he stated. “We must seek investments and opportunities for all the others. The mission is about, indeed, finding and providing opportunities, access, and resources to world football. Some, unfortunately, want to impede the progress of others, but we must work to close this gap between the largest countries and all the others.” That is what we have been striving to achieve over the past 10 years and also in the last 10 weeks, and what we will continue to pursue in the coming years.
Infantino, backed by the African and South American regional blocs, has sought to marginalize the confederations and connect directly with individual members during the crisis.
Infantino reports positive reception in the Dominican Republic.
CFU is a member of CONCACAF, and Infantino expressed his satisfaction with the warm reception he received on the sidelines of an under-14 tournament in the Dominican Republic.
CONCACAF President Victor Montagliani requested that Infantino refrain from attending the tournament, expressing concern that his presence would overshadow the football.
Infantino stated that the tournament, funded by FIFA development money, exemplified the type of work the governing body had accomplished during his leadership.
On Sunday, six Nordic FIFA members—Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and the Faroe Islands—convened in Helsinki and released a joint statement supporting the calls for Infantino’s resignation.
In his podcast interview, Ceferin dismissed claims that Europe was hindering support for less affluent football nations and criticized what he referred to as efforts to depict UEFA as a privileged elite. “What I hear is that they play on, you know, arrogant Europe is against us,” he stated. “However, I believe it’s important to remind him (Infantino) that he is a European and that he received support from UEFA, which he seems to have forgotten.”
