FIFA is heading into the final weeks of its presidential nomination period with its leader under pressure from several directions.
Gianni Infantino announced in April that he will stand for re-election in 2027, but he has faced growing calls to step aside since the summer.
The trouble began in late July. Reports by The Times and the Financial Times revealed a plan to create a company to run FIFA’s tournaments, and FIFA planned to sell about a 20% stake in the new $20bn unit.
UEFA’s 55 member nations voted unanimously to boycott all FIFA tournaments until the proposal was withdrawn, and Infantino scrapped the plan on July 31.
Complaints followed. The Norwegian Football Federation filed formal complaints with two FIFA committees on Tuesday. They cover the abandoned share sale, the lifting of Folarin Balogun’s World Cup suspension after Donald Trump intervened, and the FIFA Peace Prize presented to the US president.
German football officials have also called for change. DFB vice-president Hans-Joachim Watzke said last month that Infantino must go “no ifs or buts”.
UEFA has gone to a court in Florida to seek documents linked to the plan, with a possible criminal complaint in Switzerland in mind.
Arsenal supporters will know one senior FIFA figure well. Infantino hired Arsene Wenger in 2019, a little over a year after Wenger’s final match as Arsenal manager.
Wenger is FIFA’s chief of global football development.
In August, Wenger said he first learned of the share-sale project through media reports and called its withdrawal “absolutely necessary.” He did not say whether Infantino should remain president.
Now, according to The Times, discussions are under way to persuade Arsene Wenger to put himself forward as a candidate.
Reformers are looking for a fresh challenger to unite opposition to Infantino and hope Wenger’s worldwide respect can persuade him to stand.
The timeline is tight. Candidate nominations must be submitted by November 18. The presidential election will be held at the FIFA Congress in Rabat, Morocco, on March 18, 2027. Infantino’s potential rivals hope a strong challenger emerges before the nomination period closes.
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One rival has already come forward. Former Tottenham defender Ramon Vega said on Wednesday that he intends to stand, becoming the first person to publicly declare a challenge to Infantino.
He must first gain the backing of at least five of FIFA’s 211 member federations, and he failed to gather enough support to make the ballot in 2022.
Other names remain uncertain. Jordan’s Prince Ali bin al-Hussein, who challenged Infantino in 2016, may also run again.
The Times reports that Concacaf president Victor Montagliani does not plan to run, although AFP described him in September as the likeliest challenger.
FIFA has said that Infantino will stand for re-election. The reports so far do not say whether Wenger is willing to enter the race.