Arsene Wenger is not currently expected to run against Gianni Infantino as a candidate in FIFA's upcoming presidential election, sources have told The Athletic.
Wenger has served for the past seven years as FIFA's chief of global football development. At 77, and helped by his standing as one of the most respected figures in the sport, he would have been viewed as a serious rival to Infantino. The former Arsenal manager had been lobbied to run for the post by a number of key stakeholders in football, including UEFA, ahead of the November 18 deadline.
Sources briefed on the process, who were not authorised to speak publicly, indicate Wenger has informed UEFA he is not currently intending to stand. French newspaper L'Equipe first reported Wenger's present thinking.
Wenger is best known for his 22-year spell as Arsenal manager and has not been involved in coaching since leaving the north London club in 2018. His FIFA contract expires at the end of this year, though the governing body is keen to extend his stay in his current role. Had Wenger chosen to run for the presidency, his existing position would likely have been complicated, since he would probably have needed to campaign on an alternative agenda.
Infantino's position as FIFA president has been under intense scrutiny, and he has faced multiple calls to resign since the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal was launched and subsequently scrapped. The plan would have seen the organisation sell a stake in its event and commercial operations, including the World Cup, to private investors.
Responding to the FFE proposal, Wenger released a statement on August 4 saying he was "not involved" in its conception and did not know anything about it until it was reported in the media. His statement added: "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."
Wenger was also a notable absentee from the FIFA Management Committee's meeting in Rabat, Morocco, on August 5, which led to the organisation's leadership rallying around Infantino. Despite that absence, he has since been pictured alongside Infantino, most recently at the end of October in Baku, Azerbaijan, for the inaugural Under-15s World Cup and Festival.
Mattias Grafstrom, FIFA's secretary general, wrote to FIFA Council members earlier this month to say the governing body will grant access to what he described as "key" material relating to the failed FFE plan. That follows a letter UEFA sent to FIFA last month detailing 42 demands, including information pertaining to the FFE proposal. UEFA had earlier set out criteria it wants for any candidate to challenge Infantino, describing the sort of figure it is looking for as "respected and unifying" following a meeting of its 55 member federations.
Ramon Vega, a former Tottenham Hotspur centre-back, was the first to put his name forward as a challenger to Infantino, announcing his intention in October. Japan Football Association president Kozo Tashima has also declared his intention to stand. Any prospective candidate must earn the backing of five of FIFA's 211 national associations in order to be eligible to run.
Infantino has served as FIFA president since 2016, replacing Sepp Blatter, who resigned the year before after a series of scandals. He was re-elected unopposed in 2019 and 2023, and announced in April that he intends to stand for another four-year term in 2027. Earlier this month, Miguel Maduro, the former head of FIFA's governance committee, claimed Infantino is not eligible to stand for a fourth term and urged his critics to challenge his candidacy at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
