Al-Khelaifi rules out Fifa presidency and unveils plan for global clubs body

Al-Khelaifi closes the door on Fifa run

Nasser al-Khelaifi, the chairman of the European Football Clubs (EFC) group, has definitively ruled himself out of the running to succeed Gianni Infantino as Fifa president.

Speaking in the Danish capital – the same stage where Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin was delivering his broadside against Infantino – Al-Khelaifi shut down persistent speculation that he could be a contender in next March's Fifa election.

"I have zero interest in Fifa, zero agenda or ambition to be there," al-Khelaifi said. "I don't think I'm the right guy for this position. I'm enjoying what I'm doing, having fun. Fifa, not for me."

A new global clubs body

Rather than seeking football's top job, Al-Khelaifi set out ambitions to expand the scope of his own organisation, explicitly calling for the creation of a worldwide clubs' body that would reach beyond Europe.

"Now is the time to create World Football Clubs," he told the general assembly, arguing for a representative body that includes clubs from outside the continent.

"We are more than proud and happy if we can help and contribute outside of Europe for our colleagues from different clubs in the world," he added later.