UEFA vice-president Laura McAllister has stressed that any future FIFA president must be a 'guardian of the sport' with the ability to unite world football, as pressure grows on current president Gianni Infantino following the collapse of a World Cup investment plan.
Speaking to Reuters, McAllister said it would be difficult to find a challenger strong enough to take on Infantino, as any candidate would need support from member associations globally, not only in Europe.
'It's not as easy as people think. The right candidate also needs the right level of support,' McAllister told Deutsche Welle. 'There is so much politics around this. Finding a candidate who can unite the whole football world, not just Europe, is essential.'
The former Wales women's captain also called for comprehensive governance reform to modernize football's leadership structures. 'There needs to be real fundamental change in the operating culture of football leadership, and we need to drive modernization of the game to ensure football is not run by factions or individuals, but is governed democratically,' she said.
The comments come as Infantino faces mounting pressure after withdrawing his plan to create a commercial subsidiary and sell stakes in future World Cup revenues to outside investors.
Earlier this week, at a meeting in Rabat on Wednesday, FIFA's leadership reaffirmed its support for Infantino, apologized to the 211 member associations for errors related to the World Cup investment plan, and promised to review the processes that drew sharp criticism from national federations.
However, FIFA's efforts to close the biggest crisis of Infantino's presidency are unlikely to end scrutiny of the organization's leadership and governance ahead of the presidential election in March.
McAllister also emphasized that the leadership transition at FIFA must come with a return to the sport's core values, with football governed for the good of the game rather than for political or commercial interests.
'This game is for everyone, from the grassroots to the top,' she said in an interview. 'It belongs to no one. It's for men and women alike. It needs to reach every corner of the world, in the poorest countries as well as the most successful nations.'
