Wenger rules out FIFA presidency bid, easing pressure on Infantino ahead of nomination deadline

Arsène Wenger will not stand against Gianni Infantino in the FIFA presidential election, stepping back from a potential challenge just four days before the nomination deadline, according to multiple reports.

Wenger, who serves as FIFA’s chief of global football development — a role Infantino himself created — had been seriously weighing a run against his employer. UEFA had been preparing to throw its institutional weight behind the 77-year-old Frenchman, and French president Emmanuel Macron was reported to have personally contacted Wenger to urge him to stand. Despite that high-level lobbying, Wenger has opted not to put his name forward.

The decision is a significant boost for Infantino, who has faced mounting opposition from European football’s governing body. UEFA, along with several major national associations including the FA, has publicly questioned whether Infantino remains fit to lead world football. Wenger had been viewed as Europe’s most credible candidate to unseat him, having been among those who openly condemned Infantino’s proposed £15 billion World Cup expansion sell-off.

With Wenger out, UEFA must now identify a new challenger at short notice. The only confirmed candidates so far are Kozo Tashima, the Japanese member of the FIFA Council, and Ramon Vega, the former Tottenham Hotspur defender — though Vega is expected to struggle to secure the required level of institutional backing.

Infantino, meanwhile, has maintained that he holds broad support across South America, Africa and Asia, claiming the “vast, vast majority” of world football backs his continued leadership. His tenure has not been without controversy, however. Recent reports alleged that his office requested VIP treatment for three of his daughters and their pet dogs during a personal trip from Miami to Qatar, with staff said to have written to airport officials asking for assistance through security — claims that have added to questions about his conduct in office.