Infantino's opponents have lost their main candidate: Al-Khelaifi refuses to run
The president of Paris Saint-Germain, whom European officials saw as a single candidate against the head of FIFA, has publicly withdrawn his candidacy
Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi has stated that he does not intend to run for the presidency of FIFA. He was asked the question on Wednesday evening in Salzburg, right after the Parisians' 2-1 victory over Aston Villa in the UEFA Super Cup match.
"I am the president of PSG and I am happy to remain so," the Qatari official replied in an interview with L'Équipe, without elaborating on the subject.
This is the first public statement by Al-Khelaifi himself on the matter. Two weeks ago, the Qatari's official representative had already denied reports by the British outlets Politico and The Telegraph, which had named him as a candidate with UEFA's backing: "Mr. Al-Khelaifi has neither the ambition, nor the intention, nor the interest in this position at FIFA, nor in all this media noise. On the contrary, he will continue to support, wisely and constructively, all world and European football institutions."
Why this matters
As 1news.az reported, in order to remove Gianni Infantino, his opponents need three things: written appeals from 43 associations to convene an extraordinary Congress, 106 votes out of 211 to win the election, and a candidate of their own. None of the three conditions has been met so far.
Al-Khelaifi was considered the most likely solution to the third task. According to Politico, European officials viewed him as a figure capable of uniting the opposition: he heads the European Football Clubs organization, which came out against the FIFA Forward Enterprise project, runs the beIN Media Group media holding, and sits on the UEFA Executive Committee and the FIFA Council.
His refusal narrows the range of possible contenders. Among the remaining names mentioned are CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani, the head of the Asian Confederation Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, and the president of the Norwegian Football Federation Lise Klaveness, who last week demanded Infantino's immediate resignation.
Candidacies are being submitted until November 18 — three months remain to find an alternative.
Meeting with Čeferin
Before the match, Al-Khelaifi held a meeting with UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin, and then sat next to him in the stands. According to media reports, the discussion included the situation inside FIFA and the 2029 Club World Cup.
The match in Salzburg itself became another demonstration of the discord between the two organizations. UEFA assigned it to Somali referee Omar Artan — the very one whom the United States barred from officiating World Cup matches just days before the start of the tournament, citing ties to terrorist organizations but providing no evidence. Artan was named Africa's best referee of the past season, and UEFA's decision was perceived in the football community as a gesture directed at FIFA.
Paris Saint-Germain won the Super Cup thanks to goals from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Désiré Doué, while Brian Maggio scored for Aston Villa. The Parisians became the second team of the modern era to defend this trophy, after Real Madrid in 2016 and 2017.
The Association of Football Federations of Azerbaijan has not publicly stated its position on the situation at FIFA.
