Prominent competitor for Infantino?: We know him

It has become quite quiet in the last few weeks and months among all those who loudly called for FIFA President Gianni Infantino to resign in the summer. The Swiss recently had to laugh when a BBC reporter asked him whether he had ever thought about resigning during all this time. Obviously a crazy idea for him. With a view to the next presidential election in March, he reported on his numerous trips and the support of “the vast majority” of the 211 voting national associations in FIFA. In Tokyo he had just received approval from the members of the Asian Confederation and on Cap Verde from those of the African Confederation.

The fact that shortly before the application deadline next Wednesday, November 18th, Arsène Wenger could still be nominated as an opposing candidate will probably only slightly diminish Infantino's optimism. According to information from the German Press Agency and the online portal The Athletic, a decision from the Frenchman is expected this week. The long-time coach of Arsenal FC in London enjoys a high reputation in international football far beyond Europe, but he is only of limited use as a counterpart to the Infantino system.

His age alone (77 years old) makes him only an interim solution for the top office. In addition, Infantino appointed Wenger himself as Director of Global Football Development at FIFA in 2019. In addition to talent programs, the Frenchman particularly developed ideas for the IFAB (International Football Association Board), the international body that sets the official football rules. His job was to update the offside rules and the video evidence rules. He was also considered a pupil of Infantino because he always loyally promoted his ideas. For example, the proposal to have the World Cup take place every two years in the future, or the actual expansion of the World Cup participant field to 48 nations. He also supported awarding the 2022 World Cup to Qatar.

In February of this year, Wenger praised Infantino on the occasion of Infantino's tenth anniversary in office: "Gianni is someone who wants to move forward and is always open to new ideas."

Only when Infantino announced his plans after the World Cup in North America to sell 20 percent of the commercial rights to the World Cup and other competitions to private investors for more than $4 billion did Arsène Wenger publicly distance himself from Infantino and his plans. He emphasized that he had only learned about the plans from the press and rejected them. “I firmly believe that FIFA must be independent and serve our sport with commitment, transparency and integrity.” Investors included Joshua Kushner, the brother of Donald Trump's son-in-law.

But since the criticism at the beginning of August, Wenger has not made any statements. He was last seen in the stands with Infantino at the U15 World Cup in Azerbaijan at the end of October. It seems audacious to imagine that Wenger's prominence could outweigh his lack of profile in sports politics. It is still unclear whether Wenger will enter the race as a UEFA candidate. So far, the European football association has not been able to agree on a challenger.

There may be too much focus on stopping Infantino through legal means. At FIFA, UEFA gained access to the documents relating to the planned investor deal and sent Infantino a list of questions about them.

Last Thursday, the not-so-young Japanese official Kozo Tashima, 68, who has been a member of the Fifa Council, the inner circle of power in world football, since 2015, announced his candidacy against Infantino. So far he has only been publicly supported by the Japanese Football Association. In order to run for office, he would need the vote of four other associations. His appeal that it is about conveying to the world the sincere attitude that Japanese football has developed seems to be less relatable than expected.