In Morocco's elections: Čeferin settles his stance on running against Infantino
Should we expect a surprise?
Aleksander Ceferin has ruled himself out of next March's FIFA presidential race. The Slovenian, who heads European football's governing body UEFA, will not stand despite his sharp disagreements with current president Gianni Infantino. His decision leaves the door open for another challenger, one whose identity remains unclear.
Speaking on the British podcast "The Rest Is Politics", Ceferin insisted he has no interest in taking over the top job at FIFA. He reaffirmed his commitment to UEFA, the body he has led since 2016.
"I'm not interested," he said of the FIFA presidency, arguing that his credibility as one of Infantino's most prominent opponents would carry more weight if he were not chasing the post himself.
Ceferin's stance ties directly to the deepening crisis between UEFA and Infantino. The controversy really flared over the FIFA president's plans to open up the world governing body to investors, a move that stoked European opposition against him.
UEFA had threatened to boycott every FIFA competition, including the World Cup, before the contentious project was pulled. Even so, the European body's position on Infantino's future has not softened.
Two scenarios stand out, according to Ceferin. The first is that Infantino recognises he lacks the support to win re-election. The second is that he contests the vote anyway, in which case the UEFA president expects a rival to emerge. He admits he does not yet know who that will be.
Media reports point to Canada's Victor Montagliani, president of CONCACAF, as a possible candidate to take on Infantino. His name has surfaced amid a growing alliance between confederations opposed to the FIFA chief, chief among them UEFA, CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation.
Infantino, for his part, has answered his critics by stressing the need to develop football across all 211 member associations and to close the gap between the major nations and the rest of the world.
That rhetoric did not go unchallenged. Ceferin hit back at FIFA's talk of an "arrogant Europe", pointing out that the world governing body's current president is himself European and reached his post with UEFA's backing.
The election takes place in March 2027 in the Moroccan city of Rabat. Any candidate must secure a majority of the votes from the 211 member associations, and Infantino remains the only officially declared runner so far. In the Morocco elections: Ceferin settles his position on standing against Infantino
