UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has warned that FIFA president Gianni Infantino could face a rival candidate at the next FIFA presidential election.
Ceferin said he has no interest in replacing Infantino. However, he believes the FIFA president could face a leadership challenge if he decides to seek re-election.
Infantino has faced growing criticism over his plan to attract private investment into a company that would manage FIFA competitions, including the World Cup.
FIFA later abandoned the proposal after it faced strong opposition from UEFA and other football bodies.
UEFA has also threatened to boycott FIFA competitions if the governing body moves ahead with similar plans.
Speaking on The Rest Is Politics podcast, Ceferin said he was not interested in becoming FIFA president.
“I’m not interested because of two reasons,” the 58-year-old Slovenian said.
Ceferin explained that he enjoys his role at UEFA and wants to spend more time enjoying life. He also said staying out of the FIFA race would strengthen his credibility.
Infantino faces growing pressure
Ceferin has been one of Infantino’s strongest critics since the controversy began.
The UEFA president said he has not spoken to Infantino since the dispute started. He also believes Infantino’s strong position within world football has weakened.
Infantino became FIFA president in 2016 after succeeding Sepp Blatter. He had strong support from European football nations at the time.
Ceferin now believes Infantino has two choices ahead of the next FIFA Congress in Morocco in March.
“He realises that he doesn’t have the support,” Ceferin said.
Alternatively, Ceferin said Infantino could contest the election but would likely face a rival candidate.
“In that case I think he will have a candidate against him. I don’t know yet who,” he added.
Potential challengers emerge
Several football officials have been linked with a possible challenge to Infantino.
CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani and Asian Football Confederation president Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa are among the names considered potential candidates.
The growing opposition could make Infantino’s bid for another term more difficult than expected.
For now, Ceferin has ruled himself out of the contest. However, his warning suggests that Infantino may no longer have an uncontested path to re-election.
