Ceferin rules himself out of Fifa race but warns Infantino to quit or face challenger in March

Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin has ruled himself out of a challenge for the Fifa presidency but warned Gianni Infantino that he must either resign or face a leadership contest at the next Fifa Congress in Morocco in March.

Speaking on The Rest is Politics podcast, Ceferin cited personal loyalty to Uefa and the value of his own credibility as the reasons for stepping back from a race he was widely tipped to enter. “I’m not interested because of two reasons,” he said. “One reason is that I love Uefa and I love working here, and I think that at a certain point it’s time to also enjoy life a bit. And the second point is, my credibility is much, much higher if I’m not interested in the position.”

Infantino has faced mounting pressure to step down since revealing plans to seek private investment in a company to run Fifa tournaments, including the men’s and women’s World Cups. Three continental confederations — Uefa, Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation — have accused him of “deception” and are reportedly considering a no-confidence vote at the Congress. Uefa has gone further, threatening a boycott of Fifa competitions altogether.

Ceferin, who said he has not spoken to Infantino since the controversy erupted, laid out the two paths he sees ahead for the Fifa president. “One option is that he realises that he doesn’t have the support — and that’s not only the political support of the ones who vote, but the political support of the football community, the fans, the players, former players, coaches. And the second option is that he goes to the elections in March, but in that case I think he will have a candidate against him. I don’t know yet who.”

Infantino, who succeeded Sepp Blatter as Fifa president in 2016 with strong European backing, still appears to retain the support of the African confederation CAF and South America’s Conmebol. But the coalition of opposition has grown rapidly, and Ceferin’s intervention — even without a personal candidacy — signals that the era of Infantino being regarded as untouchable may be coming to an end.

The Fifa president drew attention at the weekend when, asked by a journalist whether he intended to resign, he responded: “See you at the hairdressers” — a remark widely noted given that both men are bald.