Arsene Wenger has decided not to stand as a candidate in FIFA’s presidential election, ruling himself out of the race.
Martyn Ziegler broke the news for The Times on Saturday evening that Arsene Wenger has ruled out standing against Gianni Infantino in the upcoming FIFA presidential election.
Ziegler added that UEFA had tried to persuade Wenger to put his name forward, but the former Arsenal manager decided against it.
Dan Roan reports for the BBC that Wenger had been considering running for the job, but not anymore. UEFA are now looking for an alternative candidate before the deadline on Wednesday, but the news that Wenger won’t be that candidate is considered a blow.
Over the last week, reports suggested that senior UEFA figures were trying to convince Wenger to join the race. Since his departure from Arsenal, Wenger has been working for FIFA as their Chief of Global Football Development.
UEFA have turned on Infantino in a big way, following his failed attempt to sell off stakes in the World Cup. They’ve even been working on criminal legal action against the current FIFA president.
Multiple FAs have confirmed they won’t be backing Infantino’s bid for re-election for 2027-2031, including the Welsh and English FAs.
Yet the BBC report that Infantino is still backed by many in South America, Africa, and Asia, so there needs to be a strong candidate to oppose him and win the race. Wenger probably could have done so, but he’s opted against taking part.
- Arsene Wenger makes final decision on FIFA president electionArsene Wenger has decided not to stand as a candidate in FIFA’s presidential election, ruling himself out of the race.
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