Ceferin turns up the pressure

The political battle at the top of world football has moved into a new phase. According to , UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has described the abandoned FIFA Forward Enterprise project as “even worse than the Super League plan” and accused those behind it of trying to sell a sport that belongs to everyone. The proposal, which involved selling stakes connected to FIFA’s most valuable competitions, was shelved at the beginning of August after strong opposition.

Ceferin’s intervention matters because this is no longer simply a dispute over one commercial proposal. UEFA has taken a firm position against Infantino, while resistance has also emerged from other confederations and national associations. Six Nordic federations, including Denmark, have publicly said they have lost confidence in the FIFA president, adding to the sense that his support base is being tested at an unusually sensitive moment.

A challenger could emerge

The biggest warning came when Ceferin addressed the FIFA presidential election scheduled for next March. He said that if Infantino chooses to stand again, he expects the Swiss-Italian administrator to face an opponent, although he did not identify who that candidate might be. Concacaf president Victor Montagliani has been mentioned as a possible challenger, while Ceferin himself has ruled out running.

Infantino has survived major controversies before and still retains significant influence across global football, particularly among smaller associations that have benefited from FIFA development funding. This confrontation, however, is different because the opposition is becoming organised and increasingly public. UEFA’s leadership is no longer merely criticising FIFA policy, it is questioning whether Infantino should remain in office.

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The coming months could therefore become a test of political loyalty inside FIFA. If a credible challenger emerges and the current coalition against Infantino holds together, next March’s election may become the most significant contest for control of world football in years.

Read also: Infantino under mounting pressure: Six nations send serious joint message