If he continues to oppose Gianni Infantino head-on, Aleksander Ceferin loses his turn for the presidency of Fifa. The boss of the powerful European football confederation (UEFA) announced that he would not be a candidate against the current president of the world body in the next election, scheduled for March.
Gianni Infantino has been mired in crisis since the failure of his contested and ultimately abandoned plan to open Fifa to private investors. President of UEFA since 2016, Aleksander Ceferin announced that he would not run for office, in an interview with the British podcast “The Rest Is Politics”.
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“I am not interested” in the presidency of Fifa, declared Aleksander Ceferin. “I love UEFA and the work I do there,” he explains, adding that his “credibility (as an opponent of Gianni Infantino) is much more important if I am not interested in this position”.
The 58-year-old Slovenian, whose mandate at the head of UEFA ends in 2027, adds that he wants to “enjoy life”, but has so far maintained the suspense over his desire to run again or not.
“We will have a candidate against him”
Under his leadership, UEFA announced that it would boycott all competitions of the world body – including the World Cups – a threat reiterated despite the withdrawal of the project of Gianni Infantino, whom the European body wants to leave his post.
“The first option is that he realizes that he does not have the support (necessary for his re-election). (…) The other option is that he participates in the vote, but in this case, I think we will have a candidate against him. I do not yet know who”, explains Aleksander Ceferin, who says he has not spoken since the start of the crisis with Italo-Switzerland, former secretary general of UEFA.
According to various media, the Canadian Victor Montagliani, the president of Concacaf (Confederation of North America and the Caribbean), could be an opposition candidate to Gianni Infantino.
Concacaf President Victor Montagliani during a Major League Soccer match in Vancouver, Canada, August 1, 2026. © Elizabeth Ruiz, Getty Images via AFP
With UEFA, Concacaf is the confederation which is most vocal in its opposition to the president of Fifa, just like the Asian AFC, the three confederations having recently signed a common text to “rally the football family” behind their cause.
“We want to develop football in each of our 211 member federations around the world. Some, unfortunately, don’t need that, and don’t want others to progress, but we need to reduce the gap between the big countries and everyone else,” Gianni Infantino, who met Victor Montagliani over the weekend at a meeting of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) in the Dominican Republic, said in an interview published by Fifa on Sunday.
“Someone should remind (Gianni Infantino) that he was supported by UEFA”
“What I hear is that they (Fifa) are playing the act of ‘arrogant Europe is against us’,” says Aleksander Ceferin in the podcast. “But I think someone should remind (Gianni Infantino) that he is European, and that he was supported by UEFA.”
Faced with the outcry caused by its plan to open up to private investors, Italo-Switzerland counterattacked by calling a crisis meeting in Rabat at the beginning of August. The FIFA leadership reiterated its “full support”, while offering “apologies” for the controversy created by this project.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino during a visit to a sports complex in Cali, Colombia, August 7, 2026. © Jaime Saldarriaga, AFP
The French number 3 of Fifa Kevin Lamour, who had disavowed Gianni Infantino’s project, has left his position, we learned last week.
The African Confederation (CAF) “unanimously reaffirmed its support” for Gianni Infantino. And Donald Trump, President of the United States and close to the sports leader, invited himself into the debates, warning that “FIFA would make a terrible mistake if, for whatever reason, it considered” replacing this “formidable” man.
“It is important to get involved, to engage in dialogue, to express your views and opinions,” Gianni Infantino said from the Dominican Republic, affirming that “a lot has happened in recent weeks.”
“I think overall it’s positive, I’m very, very happy with all the support I’m getting,” he added.
The vote for the presidency of Fifa will take place in Rabat. Gianni Infantino is currently the only declared candidate. He must win a majority of the 211 votes of the members of the body to be re-elected.
With AFP
