UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has ruled out running against Gianni Infantino in the upcoming FIFA leadership contest, though he anticipates another challenger will step forward to oppose the incumbent.
Speaking on The Rest Is Politics: Leading podcast, Ceferin outlined two possibilities for the current leadership, suggesting that Infantino may either recognize a lack of backing from the wider football community or face a contested vote.
The political pressure on Infantino continues to build ahead of the scheduled vote, with major governing bodies such as UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation, and CONCACAF expressing opposition to his administration.
Additionally, six Nordic football associations—representing Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and the Faroe Islands—have formally added their voices to calls for his resignation.
Ceferin specifically criticized Infantino’s previous proposal to sell a 20 percent stake in FIFA tournament rights to private investors, noting that the plan drew pushback from both major nations and smaller European associations alike.
He highlighted that smaller federations such as San Marino, Cyprus, and Liechtenstein firmly rejected the commercialization of tournament rights, stating that their interests were not for sale.
Defending his record, Infantino has leaned heavily on support from smaller, less wealthy federations across the globe.
He argued that his administration’s primary focus is expanding the sport across all 211 member countries, creating new opportunities, and narrowing the financial and developmental gap between elite football nations and the rest of the world.
Responding to suggestions that European leadership has been dismissive of developing nations, Ceferin rejected claims that UEFA opposes global assistance.
He pointed out that Infantino himself is European and initially rose to power with the backing of UEFA, a relationship he believes has been overlooked.
Despite mounting opposition from various confederations and national associations, Infantino remains in office and is widely expected to seek another term in the upcoming election.
