{
  "id": 35218,
  "title": "Why UEFA’s preferred candidate for FIFA President to replace Gianni Infantino won’t run",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/02/why-uefas-preferred-candidate-for-fifa-president-to-replace-gianni",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-02T08:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/why-uefa-preferred-candidate-fifa-080000821.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "UEFA had Qatar’s Nasser Al-Khelaifi, the PSG President and chairman of beIN Media Group, in its sights as a potential candidate to replace Gianni Infantino as FIFA President. However, this plan appears to be on hold due to various factors. Infantino's failed attempt at selling private stakes in the FIFA World Cup has faced strong criticism from multiple major confederations, mainly UEFA. Additionally, UEFA's plans to challenge Infantino for the FIFA Presidency seem to have been abandoned. The Qatar FA's endorsement of Infantino further diminishes UEFA's preferred candidate. Despite various national football associations voicing their discontent towards Infantino, and his top aides resigning, the Qatar FA remains on Infantino's side, welcoming his decision to withdraw from privatization plans. While Al-Khelaifi holds significant positions in Qatar, his support for Infantino essentially eliminates him as a contender to challenge Infantino. If UEFA manages to remove Infantino from power through a no-confidence motion before the March 2027 elections, Al-Khelaifi might step into the power vacuum; however, it is unlikely he would contest the FIFA election and play a role in Infantino's removal from the FIFA Presidency.",
  "summary": "UEFA was reportedly considering Qatar’s Nasser Al-Khelaifi as their preferred candidate to replace Gianni Infantino as FIFA President, but this plan appears unlikely to come to fruition. Infantino's recent attempt to sell private stakes in the FIFA World Cup has faced considerable backlash from major confederations, including UEFA, leading UEFA to potentially pursue a no-confidence motion against him months before the March 2027 elections. However, the Qatar FA has publicly endorsed Infantino, welcoming his decision to withdraw the privatization plans and reiterating their support for him. With strong blocs of support across FIFA's member states, there are few credible candidates who could replace Infantino and appease the global federation. While Al-Khelaifi, the chairman of beIN Media Group and Qatar Sports Investments, could potentially rise to power in a vacuum if Infantino is removed, he is unlikely to challenge Infantino in the upcoming FIFA election and will not play a role in Infantino's removal from power.",
  "key_points": [
    "UEFA considered Nasser Al-Khelaifi as FIFA President candidate.",
    "Infantino's privatization plan faced criticism from confederations.",
    "Qatar FA's endorsement of Infantino eliminates Al-Khelaifi from running."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Al Jazeera",
        "title": "Wales FA withdraws support for Infantino re-election after FIFA stake plan",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/03/wales-fa-withdraws-support-for-infantino-re-election-after-fifa-stake",
        "published": "2026-08-03T09:23:05.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "ABC News AU",
        "title": "Infantino could face UEFA lawsuit as he scrambles for FIFA presidency support",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/03/infantino-could-face-uefa-lawsuit-as-he-scrambles-for-fifa-presidency",
        "published": "2026-08-03T21:31:16.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}