European leaders confident of finding a challenger to Infantino

European football leaders say they are confident of finding a candidate to challenge Gianni Infantino in the next Fifa presidential election. One head of a European football association was « positive » that Infantino would face an opponent in March. Senior figures at Uefa and other national associations share that view ahead of Thursday’s Fifa council meeting.

Despite an apparently limited pool of potential candidates, sources familiar with the opposition’s efforts say they are making progress. Those opposing Infantino believe the Fifa machine is being directed towards supporting his re-election campaign. One source says whoever emerges may wait until close to the deadline before publicly declaring their candidacy, reducing the time Fifa would have to derail it.

Luis Figo, the former Portugal international, has also been mentioned. In August, he became the first former player to call on Infantino to step down. He is also regarded as a possible candidate for the Uefa presidency when Ceferin’s final term ends in 2031.

Thursday’s meeting is also set to address several issues involving Infantino. Infantino is expected to answer questions from the 37-member Fifa council on several matters, including the scrapped Fifa Forward Enterprise initiative, the Fifa peace prize and the controversy over the committee’s decision to lift US striker Folarin Balogun’s suspension during the World Cup. Infantino has also pledged to present a full report on FFE on Thursday; it was not shared with members in advance. After an intervention by Donald Trump, the inaugural Fifa peace prize recipient, Infantino proposed removing the disciplinary committee’s option to revoke one-match bans imposed on players shown a straight red card.