Senior figures in European football want former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger to launch a surprise challenge against Fifa president Gianni Infantino in next year's election, BBC Sport reports. Infantino is still expected to be re-elected unopposed for a fourth and final term despite a backlash over a failed plan to sell commercial stakes in the World Cup to private investors.
Senior figures within European football have told BBC Sport they want former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger to run as a surprise candidate against Fifa president Gianni Infantino in next year's election. Wenger has served as the governing body's head of global development since 2019, meaning a challenge would pit him against his own employer.
The approach comes as Fifa deals with the fallout from the Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) scheme, a plan to sell commercial stakes in the World Cup to private investors that has triggered a crisis at the organisation. On Thursday, the Fifa Council meets in Zurich for the first time since the scheme emerged, and a defiant Infantino will come face to face with some of his fiercest critics. Leaders in European, North American and Asian football have called on him to step down.
Infantino is nevertheless expected to be re-elected unopposed for a fourth and final term. The council will also consider a proposed $3.4bn (£2.6bn) increase in funding for football development, and Infantino faces scrutiny over governance reforms, the FFE scheme, the awarding of the inaugural Fifa Peace Prize to US President Donald Trump, and disciplinary procedures following the Folarin Balogun affair.
So far, no unifying candidate with the worldwide appeal to challenge Infantino has emerged. Potential rivals such as Victor Montagliani have been mentioned, but the focus of those seeking an alternative has increasingly settled on Wenger, and whether he would be willing to take on the organisation he works for remains an open question.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- The race for the Fifa presidency will shape how the organisation handles governance, money and discipline at a time when it is under intense scrutiny.
- A Wenger candidacy would give European football a high-profile challenger and could force the first genuinely contested leadership contest in years.
- Thursday's council meeting will be an early test of whether Infantino can hold the support of confederations after public calls from three continents for him to go.
Background
Wenger is one of the most recognisable figures in world football as the long-serving former manager of Arsenal, and he joined Fifa in 2019 as head of global football development. Infantino has already served multiple terms as president and is now expected to win one more, which would be his last under the organisation's limits. The current crisis, driven by the failed commercial scheme and a series of controversies, has exposed how difficult it is to mount a credible challenge within Fifa's structure, where support is organised along confederation lines.
Key Perspectives
European football leaders: They want Wenger to run, seeing him as a candidate with the profile and worldwide appeal needed to take on Infantino and force a contested election.
Gianni Infantino: He is still projected to win again despite the backlash. He remains defiant, and Thursday's council meeting will be his first direct encounter with critics since the FFE controversy emerged.
Critics of the current leadership: They point to the failed investment scheme, broader governance concerns, the Peace Prize awarded to Donald Trump, and the handling of the Balogun affair as evidence that change is needed at the top of Fifa.
What to Watch
- Whether Wenger responds to the calls to stand, or rules himself out, before the election next year.
- The atmosphere and outcomes of Thursday's Fifa Council meeting in Zurich, including any moves towards a formal leadership challenge.
- Whether the proposed $3.4bn development funding increase is approved and whether it shifts the conversation away from governance scandals.