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UEFA chief Ceferin rules out FIFA presidency bid

From Le Figaro · () French

Translated from French, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin will not run for FIFA presidency in March 2027.
  • Ceferin cited his desire to focus on his work with UEFA and maintain his credibility as an opponent to FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
  • UEFA has threatened to boycott FIFA competitions under Infantino's leadership, advocating for his departure.

UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin has announced he will not seek the FIFA presidency in the upcoming March 2027 election. The head of European football stated his disinterest in the role during an interview with the British podcast "The Rest is Politics." Ceferin, who has led UEFA since 2016, is a prominent critic of current FIFA President Gianni Infantino.

I am not interested.

— Aleksander CeferinStated when asked about running for FIFA presidency.

Ceferin explained that his "credibility (as an opponent to Infantino) is much more important if I am not interested in this position." He expressed his satisfaction with his current role at UEFA and his desire to "enjoy life." His mandate as UEFA president concludes in 2027, and he has previously kept his future intentions ambiguous.

I love UEFA and the work I do there.

— Aleksander CeferinExplaining his commitment to his current role.

Under Ceferin's leadership, UEFA has threatened to boycott all FIFA competitions, including the World Cup, a stance reiterated despite Infantino's controversial proposal to open FIFA to investors being withdrawn. Ceferin indicated that UEFA desires Infantino's removal from his post. He suggested two scenarios: either Infantino realizes he lacks sufficient support for re-election, or he contests the election, in which case UEFA would back a challenger, though the candidate remains undecided.

My credibility (as an opponent to Infantino) is much more important if I am not interested in this position.

— Aleksander CeferinExplaining his rationale for not seeking the FIFA presidency.

Reports suggest Victor Montagliani, president of CONCACAF, could emerge as an opposition candidate. CONCACAF, along with UEFA and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), has publicly opposed Infantino's leadership, recently signing a joint statement to "unite the football family." Infantino, meanwhile, has spoken about developing football globally and reducing the gap between major footballing nations and others.

The first option is that he realizes that he does not have the support (necessary for his re-election). (...) The other option is that he participates in the vote, but in that case, I think we will have a candidate against him. I don't know who yet.

— Aleksander CeferinDiscussing potential scenarios for the FIFA presidency election.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Le Figaro in French. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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