UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin said on February 17 that he does not wish to replace Gianni Infantino, but warned the FIFA president is under significant pressure to step down or face a challenger in the upcoming election.
Speaking on the podcast The Rest is Politics, the 58-year-old Ceferin cited two reasons for his lack of interest in the FIFA presidency: his love for UEFA and his current role, and the belief that his credibility would be greater if he did not pursue the position.
“One reason is that I love UEFA and I enjoy working here, and I think at some point… it’s time to enjoy life a bit,” he said. “The second point is that my credibility would be much higher if I were not interested in this position.”
Tensions between UEFA and FIFA stem from Infantino’s plans to seek private investors for FIFA competitions, including the World Cup. Although the plan was scrapped, it sparked strong criticism from various regional and national football federations, with UEFA even threatening to boycott FIFA events.
Ceferin, who revealed he has not spoken to Infantino since the dispute began, believes the FIFA president’s position is now seriously threatened. He predicted Infantino would either have to resign or face a rival candidate if he seeks re-election at the FIFA Congress in Morocco next month.
“There are two options. One is that he (Infantino) realizes he no longer has support, not only politically from those who vote, but also support from the football community, fans, players, former players, and coaches. And the second option is that he runs in March, but in that case, I think there will be a candidate against him. I don’t know who yet,” Ceferin said.
UEFA has received backing from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF). CONCACAF President Victor Montagliani and AFC President Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa are considered the most likely candidates to challenge Infantino.
Meanwhile, Infantino visited the Dominican Republic over the weekend to meet with local and regional football officials, despite Montagliani reportedly asking him to stay away from a youth tournament there. In a video released by FIFA on February 16, Infantino appeared to allude to the controversies surrounding him: “What is important is to participate, to dialogue, to express opinions. A lot has happened in the past few weeks, and it is important that you are heard and express your feelings. I think overall it is positive, and I am very satisfied with the support I have received here.”
Infantino has also emphasized his role as a protector of poorer football nations in his re-election campaign. FIFA has not officially responded to Ceferin’s criticisms. The 56-year-old leader shows no intention of leaving the position he has held since 2016, placing trust in support from African and South American federations, as well as a strategy of directly engaging member associations to weather the crisis.
