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UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has ruled out contesting the FIFA presidency against Gianni Infantino, but said he expects another candidate to challenge the incumbent in next year’s election.
Ceferin made the comments as pressure mounts on Infantino, with UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation and CONCACAF opposing his leadership and considering further action ahead of the March 2027 election.
“There are two options,” Ceferin told The Rest Is Politics: Leading podcast.
“One option is that he realises that he doesn’t have the support, and that’s not only a political support of the ones who vote, but the political support of football community, the political support of fans, the political support of the players, former players, coaches.
“And the second option that he goes to the elections in March, but in that case, I think he will have a candidate against him. I don’t know yet who.”
Ceferin also criticised Infantino’s abandoned proposal to sell a 20 per cent stake in FIFA tournament rights to private investors, saying the plan faced opposition even from smaller European football associations.
“On one side was England, Germany, who you understand don’t want that, because this money is not so big for them. But on the other side was San Marino, Cyprus, Liechtenstein … They said: we’re not for sale,” he said.
Infantino, who has led FIFA since 2016 and is seeking a fourth term through 2031, has defended his record by appealing directly to less wealthy football associations.
“We want to grow football in every one of our 211 countries in the world,” he said.
“We need to find investments for all the others — opportunities for all the others. This is about, indeed, finding and giving opportunities, access, and resources to world football.
“Some, unfortunately, don’t need and they don’t want that others grow, but we need to narrow this gap between the big, big countries and all the others.
“That’s what we have been trying to do in the last 10 years and also in the last 10 weeks, and what we will be continuing to do in the next years.”
Six Nordic football associations Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and the Faroe Islands have also backed calls for Infantino’s resignation.
Ceferin rejected claims that UEFA was opposed to helping poorer football nations.
“What I hear is that they play on, you know, arrogant Europe is against us,” he said. “But I think someone should remind him (Infantino) that he is a European, and that he was supported by UEFA, which he forgot.”
Infantino remains in office and is expected to contest the March 2027 election for another term.
