Former Tottenham Hotspur and Switzerland defender Ramon Vega has announced his intention to stand as a candidate in next year’s FIFA presidential election, becoming the first person to publicly confirm a challenge to incumbent Gianni Infantino. The 55-year-old, who also played for Celtic and Watford before building a career in finance following his retirement in 2004, is seeking to capitalise on the backlash against Infantino, who has faced widespread calls to step down after his controversial plan to sell off stakes in the World Cup to private investors. Vega previously considered running for FIFA’s top job in 2015 after Sepp Blatter’s suspension and again in 2019, though he failed to secure the backing of five of FIFA’s 211 member federations required to appear on the ballot.
Unveiling an 11-page manifesto, Vega pledged to „reunite the global football family, deliver genuine and lasting reform, modernise FIFA for the 21st Century, restore stability and credibility, and rebuild the trust that our game urgently needs.” He framed his candidacy around the principle that „football does not belong to presidents, confederations or administrators” but rather to players, coaches, referees, supporters, volunteers, clubs, leagues, associations and communities, declaring that „the current leadership has demoralised the game” through weak governance that has eroded trust. Warning that „football is in the emergency room, on life support,” Vega insisted the sport „needs a new direction and fundamental reform” through „decisive change – not cosmetic adjustments.” His announcement drew a supportive response from former FIFA president Blatter, who described him on social media as „an interesting candidate with a diverse background.”
Vega’s candidacy emerges amid mounting pressure on Infantino, who last month declared he was „fully committed to leading FIFA” despite UEFA, Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation calling for him to quit. In a related development, Asian Football Confederation president Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa has written to Infantino distancing himself from an external review of FIFA’s governance system, proposing instead that FIFA’s council establish a working group to examine potential reforms „rather than being outsourced to an external party.” To qualify for the ballot, candidates must be proposed by a member association, have played an active role in football for two of the past five years, and pass an eligibility check by a review committee.
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Forrás: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c607397pjv37o.