FIFA World Cup crisis: Who could replace Infantino as president?

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The aboriginal of the World Cup appears to beryllium intact aft FIFA withdrew its connection to merchantability stakes successful its prized tourney and different events to backstage investors.

The outlook for the president of football’s planetary governing body, Gianni Infantino, is not rather arsenic clear.

PSG president – Nasser al-Khelaifi

The sanction that has moved swiftly to the apical of the database if determination were to beryllium a situation to Infantino is Paris Saint-Germain’s president Nasser al-Khelaifi.

The 52-year-old is simply a Qatari businessman and erstwhile nonrecreational tennis player.

Al-Khelaifi, who became president of PSG successful 2011, besides chairs planetary broadcaster beIN Media Group and chairs the influential lobby radical European Football Clubs.

The Doha-born sports enforcement is besides a subordinate of UEFA’s enforcement committee and a subordinate of the FIFA Council.

Al-Khelaifi oversaw PSG’s archetypal UEFA Champions League rubric successful 2025, a crown they defended successful 2026.

CONCACAF president – Victor Montagliani

Given his positioning arsenic a vice president astatine FIFA, Victor Montagliani is simply a wide frontrunner to measurement up to the apical job.

The Canadian is besides the president of CONCACAF, the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football – a relation helium has held since 2016 – truthful played a cardinal relation successful the hosting of FIFA World Cup 2026.

Before taking up his existent role, the 60-year-old held the presumption of president of the Canada Football Association, wherever helium projected Canada’s hosting of the 2026 World Cup. That determination led to the eventual tripartite bid alongside the United States and Mexico.

CONCACAF’s 41 subordinate associations rejected FIFA’s FFE connection astatine a gathering connected Thursday, but stopped abbreviated of backing UEFA’s determination to boycott.

Rumours did circulate, however, that Montagliani was preparing a situation to Infantino arsenic a effect of FIFA’s proposals.

FIFA statesmanlike campaigner Sheikh Salman Bin Ebrahim Al-Khalifa of Bahrain (L) congratulates recently elected FIFA President Gianni Infantino during the Extraordinary Congress successful 2016

AFC president – Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa

The Asian Football Association (AFC) president, Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, is besides FIFA’s elder vice president and was 1 of the astir outspoken individuals astatine the highest level of the crippled erstwhile helium openly criticised Infantino’s FFE plans.

The Bahraini described the proposals arsenic “totally unacceptable” successful an unfastened missive to his determination body’s 47 subordinate associations connected Thursday.

The AFC released a statement connected Friday saying that it stood “in solidarity” with UEFA and CONCACAF, but did not denote plans arsenic the erstwhile had done to boycott FIFA events.

Sheikh Salman was defeated by the then-newly appointed Infantino successful the 2016 FIFA elections.

The 60-year-old, who is simply a subordinate of the House of Khalifa, the royal household of Bahrain, has held the AFC presidency since 2013, taking up the presumption aft holding the aforesaid relation with the Bahraini Football Association.

FIFA’s November 18 deadline for candidates to basal for March’s elections indispensable surely beryllium regarded by Sheikh Salman arsenic a superior changeable astatine a occupation helium missed retired connected 10 years ago.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino, right, met the top absorption to his plans from UEFA, which has Aleksander Ceferin, acold left, arsenic its president

UEFA president – Aleksander Ceferin

As the caput of the biggest, richest and – truthful – astir almighty of FIFA’s confederations, UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin volition clasp superior sway with the 211 FIFA subordinate states should helium basal against Infantino.

The 58-year-old’s confederation was besides the biggest hostile of FIFA’s projected plans with UEFA’s 55 nations unanimously voting connected Thursday to boycott events staged by the planetary game’s governing body.

A Slovenian-born lawyer, Ceferin has held his presumption with UEFA since 2016 – having stepped up from his ain country’s shot relation – with his election, helium was automatically made a FIFA vice president.

UEFA’s statement, pursuing the ballot to boycott FIFA, was damning successful its appraisal of the FFE plan, saying: “No portion of it should ever beryllium surrendered to backstage investors. ‌‌‌‌The ‌‌‌‌World Cup is not for sale.”

It said the determination was “both irresponsible and indefensible” and would merchantability the “soul” of football.

UEFA connected Saturday released a connection saying that it had “lost confidence” successful Infantino.

“This is simply a triumph for the full game. But it indispensable not beryllium the extremity of the story,” Saturday’s connection continued.

“The connection has gone. The task of rebuilding spot successful FIFA has lone conscionable begun.”

Ceferin did not merchandise a idiosyncratic connection astatine immoderate signifier during the matter, but the value of UEFA’s absorption spoke for itself.

CAF president – Patrice Motsepe

An outsider for a imaginable FIFA presidency situation is Patrice Motsepe, the caput of the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

The South African billionaire businessman, with an estimated nett worthy of $3.7bn, has lone held his presumption since 2021.

The 64-year-old has reshaped African shot successful that clip and has moved the showpiece Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) from a biennial contention to tally successful a four-year rhythm pursuing the completion of a 2028 edition.

The 2025 tournament, hosted by Morocco, ended successful a farce for CAF with the Senegal squad leaving the tract successful wounded clip up of a punishment that was awarded to Morocco, which they disputed.

After a 14-minute delay, the lucifer resumed, the punishment was missed, and Senegal secured a 1-0 triumph successful other time.

CAF person subsequently awarded the trophy to Morocco aft a review, but the Senegalese person taken the lawsuit to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

Although not sitting solely astatine the doorway of Motsepe, the last marked a immense embarrassment for CAF, with the full continent awaiting the determination of CAS.

If Infantino has had a pugnacious fewer days, African shot has had a brutal year.

Neither lawsuit is closed, however, and some are acceptable for turbulent times up connected the athletics medication front.

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