UEFA chief Aleksander Ceferin says he is not running for FIFA President

UEFA chief Aleksander Ceferin has declared he has no intention of running for FIFA President. However, he believes that incumbent Gianni Infantino must understand he lacks sufficient support and will likely be defeated in the upcoming election. Infantino is currently the sole candidate for the position, which is scheduled for March of next year.

Ceferin stated this on The Rest Is Politics: Leading podcast. He outlined two potential scenarios for Infantino - either he recognizes he lacks support from the football community, fans, players, former players, and coaches, or he proceeds to the election with a challenger. The exact identity of the challenger remains unknown. Infantino was originally anticipated to secure re-election without opposition, despite previous criticism of his actions, including plans to sell World Cup profits to private entities headed by Joshua Kushner, Donald Trump's son-in-law's brother.

This led to significant backlash from the football community, prompting UEFA to threaten a boycott of future World Cups. FIFA did backtrack on this plan, but Infantino has faced persistent criticism since. On Sunday, six Nordic FIFA members - Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and the Faroe Islands - released a joint statement supporting calls for Infantino's resignation.

Ceferin dismissed accusations that Europe was obstructing support for poorer football nations, challenging the notion that UEFA is an "entitled elite." He reminded Infantino that he is a European and acknowledges UEFA's support for him, which Infantino apparently has forgotten.