Arsene Wenger urged to stand against Gianni Infantino for FIFA presidency

Wenger urged to challenge Infantino

Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has been urged to stand against Gianni Infantino for the FIFA presidency, The Sunday Times reports.

The call emerges as Infantino, the incumbent FIFA president, is widely expected to be re-elected without an opponent. Prior reporting on 22 September indicated that Infantino was closing in on an unopposed fourth term after would-be challengers refused to declare, while Uefa pursued legal action in US courts seeking disclosure of documents relating to the abandoned Fifa Forward Enterprise sale plan, which it claimed amounted to "criminal mismanagement".

Infantino has also faced resistance among member associations. On 11 September, the French Football Federation withdrew its support for the FIFA president, calling for "reform of FIFA's governance".

Whether Wenger would entertain a run remains to be seen, but the renewed pressure highlights the unease swirling around FIFA's leadership ahead of the next election.