Aleksander Ceferin, president of European football's governing body Uefa, has publicly declared he will not seek the Fifa presidency, yet he anticipates that another candidate will mount a challenge against Gianni Infantino when the organisation holds its election in March 2027. Infantino has faced mounting pressure to resign following his decision to abandon a controversial scheme to sell equity stakes in Fifa's competitions to private investors. The backlash to that proposal, which Uefa and other continental confederations opposed vehemently, has triggered a broader crisis of confidence in his leadership.
Infantino announced at Fifa's 76th Congress in Vancouver that he would stand for re-election in 2027, signalling his intention to seek a fourth four-year term leading the world football body. However, his position has been severely weakened by the failed investment initiative and the political fallout that followed.
The 57-year-old Ceferin explained his decision to remain outside the race during an appearance on the Rest is Politics podcast.
I'm not interested because of two reasons. One reason is that I love Uefa and I love working here, and I think that at a certain point, it's time to also enjoy life a bit,he stated. He added a second rationale:
The second point is, my credibility is much, much higher if I'm not interested in the position.
Despite stepping back from a direct challenge himself, Ceferin expressed confidence that Infantino will either recognise the erosion of his support and step aside, or face an opponent at the ballot box.
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,Ceferin said.
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.
What triggered the crisis?
Infantino's failed proposal centred on establishing a new commercial entity called Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) to manage the commercial and ticketing rights of all Fifa competitions. Under the scheme, a 21% stake would have been sold to a private investment company, fundamentally altering Fifa's ownership structure. The plan provoked immediate and fierce opposition from multiple quarters of world football.
Uefa spearheaded the resistance, with its member associations voting to boycott World Cups if the proposal proceeded. The European confederation formally declared it had lost confidence in Infantino's leadership. Concacaf, representing North and Central American football, and the Asian Football Confederation joined Uefa in issuing an open letter accusing Infantino of breaking trust
through deception.
The football associations of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland all withdrew their support for the Fifa president. However, Infantino retained backing from South American governing body Conmebol and Caf, the African confederation. Morocco's football federation formally backed Infantino for another term, and Caf said all 54 African member associations supported him.
How does Ceferin view the failed plan?
Ceferin was scathing in his assessment of the commercial proposal, drawing a striking comparison to a previous threat to European football.
I think this plan is even worse than the Super League,he declared. The European Super League was a proposed breakaway competition launched by 20 elite European clubs in April 2021 as a rival to Uefa's Champions League; it collapsed within days after widespread condemnation.
Super important clubs wanted to do their own league, which is wrong, and would destroy football. But in this case, football would be literally sold,Ceferin explained.
I'm absolutely sure that the plan is dead. It's hard to to imagine what kind of people would sell the sport that belongs to everyone. We will not allow that to happen.
Ceferin revealed that Uefa had no advance notice of Infantino's proposal and that he learned of it through media reports while on holiday with his family. He suggested that Infantino, who is Swiss and worked at Uefa for 16 years before joining Fifa, had forgotten his European roots.
Someone should remind Infantino that he is European,Ceferin said, and
that he was supported by Uefa, which he forgot.
What other controversies has Infantino faced?
Before the failed investment scheme, Infantino came under fire over his relationship with United States President Donald Trump. After American striker Folarin Balogun had a red card suspension overturned, allowing him to play in his team's last-16 defeat to Belgium at the summer World Cup, Trump publicly revealed that he had personally telephoned Infantino to request the sanction be lifted.
Trump subsequently stated it would be a
terrible mistaketo remove Infantino as Fifa president. Ceferin was deeply troubled by this episode.
That was more than shocking. We have rules, and if you don't respect your own rules, then the game doesn't make any sense,he said.
The president of a country says: 'I called him, and I told him to look at it.' And then the Fifa president says it was an independent decision. For us as football fans, or for us as a governing body, that's shocking. That's shocking, and - trust me - almost everybody was shocked. Just not everybody dared to speak.
Who supports Infantino now?
Despite the widespread criticism, Infantino has been actively campaigning for support. Earlier this month, he met with Caribbean Football Union members in the Dominican Republic and attended the E-Sports World Cup in Paris, where he was present alongside French President Emmanuel Macron, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo.
Samuel Eto'o, the former Barcelona striker and current president of the Cameroonian Football Association, publicly defended Infantino.
I don't think that President Gianni Infantino has done anything wrong,Eto'o told CNN.
I remain convinced that for us as Africans, this project was something that could have been incredible. It would have reset the balance of power in football to ensure that our talent doesn't disappear and end up playing for other nations.
Eto'o credited Infantino with transforming football globally.
Infantino has changed football. He's given opportunities to nations that didn't have those opportunities to take part in the most beautiful tournament, the World Cup. He enabled smaller nations to get seats at these competitions. He has helped our continent. He's helped our federations to develop much more quickly, and we need to acknowledge that.
What happens next?
The path to the 2027 Fifa presidency election is now clearly defined. Potential challengers must declare their candidacy by 18 November 2026, with the decisive election scheduled for 18 March 2027 at the Fifa Congress in Rabat, Morocco. Rights group FairSquare has urged Fifa to declare Infantino ineligible for another term, citing term-limit rules, adding another layer of complexity to the political battle ahead.
Infantino is expected to continue seeking public and member-association support in the months leading up to the vote. The outcome will determine not only who leads world football but also the direction of Fifa's commercial strategy and governance in the years to come.
