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Arsene Wenger left Arsenal in 2018 after 22 years as the most successful manager in the club鈥檚 history.
Fittingly, it turned out to be his last role in management, and since 2019, he has served as FIFA’s head of global development. In that role he oversees youth academies in 60 countries and youth competitions around the world, and he鈥檚 also a technical adviser to IFAB, football鈥檚 rule-making body.
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Wenger has been pushing for a 鈥榙aylight鈥� offside law too, where an attacker is only offside if there鈥檚 clear space between them and the defender, and it鈥檚 being trialled in the Canadian Premier League this year.
As for FIFA, it’s fair to say it hasn’t been a quiet few months. Gianni Infantino鈥檚 plan to sell commercial stakes in the World Cup to private investors caused huge backlash and was eventually scrapped, and Wenger publicly distanced himself from it at the time.
Arsene Wenger being urged to run for FIFA president
Despite all that, Infantino still looks likely to be re-elected unopposed next year. But as per BBC Sport, senior figures in European football want Wenger to stand against him, and a large number of FIFA鈥檚 own staff want him to run too.
His backers believe he has the respect outside Europe that any challenge would need, particularly in Asia from his time in Japan and in Africa, where he was known as a champion of African players at Arsenal.
There鈥檚 no sign yet that Wenger, now 76, is planning to do it. FIFA gave no comment when asked about his intentions, and he had dinner with Infantino and other members of the FIFA Council in Zurich on Wednesday night. One ‘well-connected figure’ told the BBC they would be 鈥渁mazed if Wenger would rise up against the man who appointed him in the first place.鈥�/p>
If he does want to run, he has until 18 November to declare and would need nominations from at least five national associations. As it stands, the only declared candidate is former Tottenham defender Ramon Vega, and few people give him much of a chance.