Infantino Faces March FIFA Election Threat as FFE Revolt Elevates 3 Main Challengers
Updated
Updated · ESPN · Aug 5
Infantino Faces March FIFA Election Threat as FFE Revolt Elevates 3 Main Challengers
3 articles · Updated · ESPN · Aug 5
Summary
March's FIFA presidential race is no longer a formality after backlash over Gianni Infantino's abandoned FIFA Forward Enterprise plan weakened his once-secure path to a final term.
Nov. 18 is the deadline for candidates, and Concacaf president Victor Montagliani has emerged as the leading alternative, helped by his cross-confederation profile and record stabilizing Concacaf after corruption scandals.
AFC president Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa also gained attention after his confederation joined UEFA in attacking the stake-sale proposal, though his candidacy would carry human-rights criticism tied to Bahrain's royal family.
Nasser Al-Khelaifi remains an influential outside possibility after building power through PSG, beIN and the ECA, but he is reportedly uninterested and Qatar's federation has backed Infantino.
Other names in the mix include UEFA critic Aleksander Ceferin, Norwegian federation president Lise Klaveness and FIFA secretary general Mattias Grafström, whose email after the FFE collapse notably withheld support for Infantino.