This time Infantino really shook his back/ incredible coup in football: Arsene Wenger, the president of FIFA

The Times newspaper in an incredible report says that there is a possibility that Arsene Wenger will stand against Johnny Infantino in the FIFA presidential election.

According to Sport Se, the opponents of the current president of FIFA, led by UEFA, are trying to convince the legendary head coach of Arsenal to enter the campaign for the presidency of the World Football Federation as the main figure of the opposition.

The World Football Federation is dealing with one of the deepest political crises during the presidency of Johnny Infantino. Until a few months ago, it seemed that Infantino, who was re-elected unopposed in 2023, had a safe margin and would easily win the March 18, 2027 elections in Rabat, Morocco. But the privatization project of part of the assets of the World Cup and his closeness to Donald Trump seriously shook his position, and the downward trend of Infantino's position started from those days.

The business structure that Infantino was looking for, called FIFA Forward Enterprise, was supposed to provide conditions for private sector investors close to the US president to get a share of FIFA's business activities, including television broadcasting rights, sponsorship contracts and revenues from prestigious tournaments. The aim of this project was to attract about 4.2 billion dollars of capital through the transfer of nearly 20% of the shares of this new institution. But Infantino's project faced widespread protest and was severely attacked due to secrecy, lack of transparency and ignoring the main stakeholders of football. As opposition intensified, Infantino was forced to abandon the plan entirely in early August, although he claimed he intended to use the proceeds to develop soccer globally.

The withdrawal of the FIFA president could not extinguish the anger of the protesters. Under the leadership of Alexander Ceferin, UEFA intensified its criticism and even threatened to boycott FIFA tournaments. UEFA also received the support of CONCACAF, AFC and the Confederation of the Pacific Ocean and pushed its demands forward and put clear guarantees on FIFA's governing method and the process of making major decisions on the table.

Several European federations found Infantino's proposed reform package insufficient and accused him of only seeking to strengthen his personal position ahead of the election. It got so bad that the story went beyond the world of football and Glenn Micallef, the European Union sports commissioner, publicly criticized the extreme commercialization of this sport.

Although Infantino still has a strong voter base and 54 African federations have declared their full support for him, the opposition bloc is seeking to build a unified and credible front. With the withdrawal of CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani, who announced that he would prefer to run for a new term of the presidency of the confederation, the biggest challenge for the protesters was to find a face that has the acceptance and weight necessary to compete with the Italian-Swiss director.

Today, a report was published in one of the most reliable media companies in the world, which can destroy Infantino's last bastion. Arsene Wenger's name is seriously mentioned as Infantino's rival. According to the Times newspaper, Infantino's staunch opponents are trying to convince the former Arsenal manager to enter the race for the FIFA presidency.

As the November 18 deadline approaches, some hope that the famous French figure will become the flag bearer of the protest front. The 76-year-old Wenger is considered one of the most respected and credible figures in the world of sports, thanks to his proud coaching career and years of experience in the international football structure. Of course, the Times says that these consultations do not mean Wenger's definitive agreement to run or officially declare his desire, but for now, it is an option that the opposition has counted on for a consensus of votes and a serious threat to Infantino's base.

Wenger's choice comes as a shock given his history of working closely with Infantino. In November 2019, a few months after the end of Wenger's 22-year tenure at Arsenal, Infantino personally appointed him as FIFA's head of global football development to tap into his technical expertise. In all these years, Wenger played a prominent role in a key position as FIFA's executive arm in technical policies and educational structures, and he even went along with Infantino's visions in several major projects. But the recent crises showed that this closeness did not mean blind following.

Wenger's distance was revealed in early August after the cancellation of the "FIFA Forward Enterprise" project. The former head coach of the Gunners publicly stated that he had no role in the design of this controversial plan and that he heard about it through the media. He even openly emphasized that abandoning this plan was "absolutely necessary and vital" and reminded that FIFA must remain an independent institution and serve football with full transparency and purity. A sharp and meaningful statement from the man who himself appointed Infantino.

Wenger currently leads extensive projects in football academies in around 60 countries, and technical analysis of tournaments and rule changes at the International Football Association Board (IFAB) is largely dependent on him.

Wenger spoke at the recent FIFA congress in May calling for more investment in women's football and youth talent, and in July insisted on developing training infrastructure in America.

The main question raised at the end of Ambassador Erjans' report is whether the old French man is ready to leave behind the desk of technical management and step into the arena full of political games of the FIFA presidential election. His presence and even his whisper can upset all the electoral equations of Infantino.