Gianni Infantino appears increasingly likely to be re-elected unopposed for a fourth and final term as Fifa president next year, despite the backlash over a failed plan to sell commercial stakes in the World Cup to private investors. But senior figures within European football have told BBC Sport they want former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger to run as a surprise candidate.
The idea will be tested against reality this week. Fifa Council meets on Thursday for the first time since the emergence of Infantino’s Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) scheme plunged the organisation into crisis, leading to calls from the game’s leaders in Europe, North America and Asia for him to step down. Infantino, described as defiant, will come face to face with some of his fiercest critics at what could be a spicy gathering in Zurich.
Fifa is set to propose a $3.4bn (£2.6bn) increase in the money it hands out for football development, but Infantino will also face scrutiny over governance reforms, FFE, the awarding of the inaugural Fifa Peace Prize to US President Donald Trump, and disciplinary procedures after the Folarin Balogun affair. The meeting will also highlight the failure so far to identify a unifying figure with worldwide appeal to challenge Infantino.
Potential rivals have ruled themselves out. Victor Montagliani, the president of Concacaf, and Uefa chief Aleksander Ceferin have let it be known they are not contenders. Infantino has been touring the world shoring up his position, and the growing expectation is that his support in Africa, South America and Oceania will carry him to re-election, even though he has the backing of only roughly half of Fifa’s 211 members. The only person to declare an intention to run so far is former Tottenham defender Ramon Vega, although few rate his chances.
Wenger, 76, has been Fifa’s head of global development since 2019. There is no indication in Zurich that he is plotting a bid. On Wednesday evening he joined Infantino and other Fifa Council members for dinner in a Zurich restaurant, and as a senior member of Fifa’s management team he will be present at Thursday’s meeting. When BBC Sport asked about his intentions via Fifa, no comment was provided, and those close to him will not be drawn on whether he is interested. One told BBC Sport he would be “an ideal candidate, but he is his own man.” A high-ranking Fifa official insisted they had no idea if Wenger was tempted.
What is clear is that he has supporters who believe he commands the level of respect beyond Europe that would be essential if the Uefa-led rebellion against Infantino is to have any chance of success. “He’s a brilliant football man who truly understands football development because he’s been running it,” claimed one senior official at a European national association. “People don’t see him as just a European. He’s very respected in Asia, for instance, from his time working in Japan. A lot of people are saying he’d be the ideal candidate. With him, it’s not about money, status or ego. He genuinely loves the game. He’s made a difficult role work and understands Fifa, and that’s why he’d be a really good candidate. That said, he’s in a really difficult position.”
That difficulty was highlighted during the fallout over FFE, when Wenger, traditionally loyal to Infantino, distanced himself from the aborted plot. He said in a statement: “I was not involved in this strategic plan and first became aware of the project through media reports. The decision to withdraw the project was absolutely necessary and beyond question, because I firmly believe in an independent Fifa that serves our game with commitment, transparency and integrity.” Some may have expected him to resign, but he has carried on in a role overseeing youth development at academies in 60 countries and youth competitions around the world, and as a technical adviser to the International Football Association Board.
Wenger has caused controversy in that role, notably with proposals such as biennial World Cups and a ‘daylight’ offside law. But he also has a global profile, including in Africa, where Infantino recently received a major re-election boost by winning the backing of all 54 member national associations after promising an increase in funding. Wenger was known as a champion of African players during his time at Arsenal, and his support for an expanded 48-team World Cup to drive development beyond traditional powers has been well received on the continent. At the weekend he was in Cape Verde at a Confederation of African Football conference, telling delegates: “We want to see an African team win the World Cup, and the numbers show that it is feasible.” Such sentiments would do him no harm if he stood.
BBC Sport has been told that a large number of Fifa staff also want Wenger to run and believe he could change the organisation’s image. Others are more sceptical. One well-connected figure in Fifa circles told BBC Sport he would be “amazed if Wenger would rise up against the man who appointed him in the first place. Arsene has had some fairly ‘out there’ ideas. In terms of the administration of the game and the relationships on a political level, in the kind of places you’re going to need to corral and command power, I’m not sure he’s the man for that.” Another senior European official said: “He has the stature, but I’m not sure he smacks of the future. Maybe he could do a single term to introduce reforms. He is very respected in the game and has done a good job of the development programmes, but whether he’d split from Gianni, I just don’t know.”
If Wenger did decide to run, he would have until 18 November to declare his candidacy and would need to be nominated by at least five national associations. As a manager, he left Arsenal in 2018 after 22 years and is remembered as the club’s most successful manager, a legendary figure who changed English football with his forward-thinking approach to tactics and nutrition. Whether he now attempts a shake-up of a different kind at Fifa remains an intriguing prospect.