Arsene Wenger steps aside as UEFA searches for challenger to Gianni Infantino

Arsene Wenger has rejected a request from European football’s governing body UEFA to stand against Gianni Infantino in the election for the FIFA presidency.

The 77-year-old former Arsenal manager had emerged as one of the potential candidates capable of challenging the incumbent at next March’s election. However, according to the Times, Wenger has withdrawn from consideration after discussions with senior figures in football.

The decision is a setback for UEFA, which had spent several months looking for a candidate with the international credibility to mount a serious challenge to Infantino.

UEFA viewed Wenger as one of the few figures with sufficient standing across the game to contest the election. But senior figures within FIFA are understood to have encouraged him not to enter the race, and he ultimately decided against opposing the man who appointed him to his current role.

Wenger has been FIFA’s chief of global football development since 2019, having ended his 22-year managerial career with Arsenal the previous year.

The decision comes amid growing tension between UEFA and Infantino over a proposal to sell commercial stakes in future editions of the World Cup to private investors.

The project, known as the FIFA Forward Foundation, faced widespread opposition from football authorities around the world before eventually being abandoned.

Wenger publicly distanced himself from the plans, saying he had only learned about them through media reports. He also welcomed the decision to drop the proposal.

Infantino, 56, has been FIFA president since 2016 and has secured significant backing from football bodies in Africa and Asia ahead of the election.

Japanese football official Kozo Tashima has already announced his intention to challenge Infantino. UEFA can still seek another candidate before the nomination deadline on Wednesday.

Any prospective candidate must receive the support of at least five national football associations to enter the election. The vote will be held on 18 March in Rabat, the capital of Morocco.

Wenger remains one of the most respected figures in world football after leading Arsenal to three Premier League titles and seven FA Cup victories.

His 22-year spell with Arsenal included an unbeaten Premier League campaign in 2003-04, although that achievement is not cited in the source article.