Ramon Vega, who played in defence for Celtic, has announced he will run against Gianni Infantino for the presidency of FIFA. The 55-year-old is the first person to declare publicly that he intends to challenge Infantino, who wants a fourth term at the FIFA Congress next March.
Vega represented Switzerland at Euro 96 in England and spent four years at Tottenham, from 1997 to 2001. In a statement setting out his candidacy, he said his life had prepared him to serve the game and that football did not belong to presidents, confederations or administrators. He painted a bleak picture of its current health. “Football is in the emergency room, on life support,” he said, adding: “FIFA needs a new direction and fundamental reform.”
His move comes as Infantino faces growing pressure. A plan to bring in private investors and create a commercial vehicle to run the World Cup was rejected by three confederations, including UEFA, and then dropped. UEFA has said it no longer has confidence in the FIFA president. After the plan came to light, the football associations of Scotland, England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland all withdrew their support for him. There is also strong frustration at how FIFA handled the Folarin Balogun case at the World Cup, and reports this week claimed FIFA’s administration ignored its own lawyers by letting DR Congo play in an intercontinental play-off despite goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi being ineligible. FIFA did not respond to a request for comment.
Football association presidents and general secretaries from across Europe are gathering in Berlin ahead of a meeting of UEFA’s Top Executive Programme on Thursday, with FIFA governance on the morning agenda. The Press Association understands UEFA is still searching for a credible rival to Infantino, although any agreed candidate is unlikely to be named at that meeting. Nominations for the election close on 18 November.
Infantino is not short of allies. He is attending the Confederation of African Football’s strategy conference in Cape Verde this week alongside Arsene Wenger, FIFA’s chief of global football development, as he works to firm up backing in Africa. He also enjoys strong support in South America, and several Middle Eastern nations, including Qatar and Saudi Arabia, have said they will vote for him. Vega will need to break into that support base if his candidacy is to gain real momentum before nominations close.
