“He is the ideal man for this position”, after his disagreements with Infantino, Arsène Wenger tipped for the presidency of Fifa

Opponents of Gianni Infantino are looking for their candidate. Five months before the FIFA presidential election, scheduled for March 18, 2027 in Rabat, Morocco, names are starting to circulate to challenge the outgoing president, contested for his governance. After the former Swiss international Ramon Vega, already declared a candidate, another profile, much better known to the general public, emerges: Arsène Wenger. At 76, the former Arsenal coach is encouraged by several influential leaders in world football to enter the race. “He is the ideal man for this position,” assures a European football leader.

Valuable knowledge of the workings of Fifa but…

After 22 years on the Arsenal bench, between 1996 and 2018, he has solid experience in high-level football. But its main asset is now in the Fifa offices. Director of world football development since 2019, the Alsatian notably supervises training programs and academies intended for young players in around sixty countries. “He knows the file, the body and its possible development areas perfectly,” underlines the same manager.

Last August, the French international publicly distanced himself from the controversial project to open the commercial activities of the World Cup to private investors. “I was not involved in this project which I learned about in the press,” he said, defending an independent Fifa, committed to “transparency and integrity”.

…he is one of Infantino’s former faithful

Should we trust him? Because there is indeed a major obstacle that could slow down Wenger's ambitions: his historical proximity to Gianni Infantino. However, long before this public disagreement, "the professor" was among the Fifa president's most loyal supporters.

“I find this idea (of presenting oneself) absurd,” says an influential personality in world football to RMC Sport. “Arsène Wenger was Infantino's biggest supporter for many years, he strongly defended the World Cup every two years. He never questioned it.” Another interlocutor adds: “For years, he was his right arm and his main support.”

It now remains to convince the main interested party, still silent about his intentions. In any case, he is no exception to the rule, to run, Wenger will have to gather the sponsorship of five federations before November 18.