UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin announced that he does not intend to run against FIFA President Gianni Infantino, despite calls for him to resign from his position.
In an interview with The Rest is Politics, Ceferin said: “I will not run against Gianni Infantino for the FIFA presidency, but he must resign from his position.”
The UEFA president revealed the reason for his decision not to run for the FIFA presidency, stating, “One of the reasons is my love for working at UEFA, and my credibility would be much higher if I were not interested in the position.”
The FIFA presidential election will be held in March 2027, amid divisions over Infantino.
Ceferin presented two options for Infantino: “There are two options: either Infantino realizes that he does not have the support not only of the voters, but also of the football community, fans, players, and coaches, or he runs in the March election, but in that case, I believe he will have a rival candidate, and I do not know who it is yet.”
Infantino, the former Secretary General of UEFA, received widespread support from European countries when he succeeded Joseph Blatter as FIFA president in 2016.
The UEFA, Asian, and CONCACAF federations issued an open letter accusing Infantino of breaking the trust of the football system and placing himself above the game.
The escalation came in the context of an attempt to sell commercial shares of the World Cup, a move that the federations confirmed was carried out without sufficient consultation and in a rushed manner to avoid discussion.
Meanwhile, the Egyptian Football Association, led by Hany Abu Rida, issued a joint statement with six other federations to support FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
Infantino continues to enjoy support from the African, CONMEBOL, and Oceanian confederations, with the exception of New Zealand.
In a video interview during his visit to the Dominican Republic, Infantino said: “It is important to participate, engage in dialogue, and express opinions and viewpoints.”
He added, “A lot has happened in the past few weeks, and it is important that you listen and hear, and that you are also able to express your feelings, so I think the situation is generally positive, and I am very happy with all the support I am receiving here.”
