October 30 – European governing body UEFA is inching closer to selecting a candidate to run against FIFA boss Gianni Infantino in the presidential elections.
It’s understood that UEFA is waiting for the November 2 deadline it set FIFA to lapse before announcing a candidate to challenge Infantino. European officials remain confident of finding the suitable candidate.
By Monday, UEFA wants FIFA to respond to a series of questions over the abandoned FIFA Forward Enterprise and governance raised at the recent FIFA Council in Zurich, Switzerland. UEFA also wants the world governing body to release FFE documents. In August, UEFA filed motions in US courts targeting discovery.
The European body has led the opposition against the embattled Infantino, seeking to oust Infantino, who has resisted calls to step down. So far, UEFA has failed to come up with a viable candidate. Concacaf boss Victor Montagliani and AFC boss Shaikh Salman Bin Ibrahim Al-Khalifa will not stand. Last week, in a switch of its position from its end July call for Infantino to stand down, the AFC somewhat over-effusively endorsed Infantino. Influential club boss Nasser Al Khelaifi, from Qatar, has also said he is not interested in running for FIFA presidency.
In European circles, Arsene Wenger has been viewed favourably, but the Frenchman has been at the FIFA U-15 World Cup in Azerbaijan in his role as FIFA’s chief of global football, and is not considered a serious contender having been a loyal and unquestioning supporter of Infantino.
Candidates have until November 18 to confirm they want to run. They may face an uphill battle to unseat Infantino, who, aside from AFC backing, also enjoys the support of the Confederation of African Football and South American governing body Conmebol. While support in Africa and Asia may not be unanimous, it is significant.
However, as Jordan’s Prince Ali bin Al Hussein pointed out earlier this week, the confederation support will not necessarily dictate how its members vote. With the vote being a secret ballot, member associations will be able to vote with their conscience and without fear of recrimination from FIFA or Infantino.
In recent weeks, Infantino has spent significant time on the campaign trail, crisscrossing the world in a private jet provided by Qatar. He has visited, among others, the Caribbean, the Gulf, East Asia, Morocco and Cape Verde.
In Europe, Infantino travelled to Latvia, Azerbaijan and the Czech Republic. Breaking European unity, the Azeris have vowed to support Infantino in the elections. FIFA’s director of member associations Elkhan Mammadov hails from the country. It’s also understood that Latvia would back Infantino at the ballot box.
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