UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin has officially ruled himself out of challenging Gianni Infantino for the FIFA presidency in the upcoming 2027 election.
Čeferin, who had been viewed as one of the strongest potential candidates to oppose Infantino, said he is not interested in replacing the FIFA president. He explained that he loves his work at UEFA and believes his credibility is stronger if he does not seek the position.
However, Čeferin's decision does not mean Infantino will have a clear path to re-election. The UEFA chief has warned that Infantino could face an opposition candidate if he decides to contest the March 2027 election. He believes the FIFA president should either recognize that he no longer has sufficient support and step down, or prepare for a challenger.
Infantino has faced increasing criticism following his controversial proposal to create a commercial entity that would sell a stake in FIFA's future World Cup revenues to private investors. The proposal was eventually abandoned after strong opposition from several football bodies.
Originally published by NotJustOk.