Nasser al-Khelaifi, president of Paris Saint-Germain, could become the main rival for FIFA President Gianni Infantino in the next elections for FIFA. For a long time, the Qatari businessman, who is also president of the Qatar Tennis Federation and chairman of the Qatar Sports Investments and beIN Media Group, has been rumoured for the role of FIFA president, but he has rejected being interested in the job.
However, the long list of controversies created by Infantino have irritated many FIFA members, particularly in UEFA, and this week's announcement that FIFA wants to sell 20% of World Cup through minority stakes in a subsidiary company has been the final straw. A UEFA emergency online meeting is scheduled for Thursday afternoon, where plans for a potential World Cup boycott will be discussed.
Another topic that could be talked in the meeting, according to Politico, is gathering support for a candidate to rival Infantino in the next FIFA elections, in March 2017, where Infantino is currently expected to run unopposed for what will be his final four-year term. According to Politico, three senior football officials, speaking anonymously, have revealed private discussions to make Nasser al-Khelaifi a serious contender against Infantino.
A representative for al-Khelaifi said on Wednesday that "Nasser has absolutely no ambition, no intention, no interest in the FIFA role, and he will continue to discreetly support all the institutions of world and European football". However, a source from the European Union following the FIFA situation said that "the stars have aligned".
What seems clear is that, if al-Khelaifi changes his mind, he would have significant support, at least from UEFA members, to prevent Infantino for being president four more years...
