UEFA closes in on Infantino challenger ahead of FIFA Presidential election

UEFA is moving closer to selecting a candidate to challenge FIFA president Gianni Infantino in the upcoming presidential election, as tensions between European football’s governing body and world football’s leadership continue to grow.

According to Inside World Football, UEFA is waiting for a November 2 deadline it gave FIFA to respond to questions concerning the abandoned FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) project and governance issues. The European body has also requested the release of relevant FFE documents.

UEFA has emerged as the leading opposition to Infantino, who is seeking to retain his position. However, several potential candidates, including Concacaf president Victor Montagliani, AFC chief Shaikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al-Khalifa and Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi, have ruled themselves out.

Candidates have until November 18 to confirm their intention to contest the election. Infantino retains significant backing from the Asian, African and South American confederations, although voting will be conducted by secret ballot.