November 13: French President Emmanuel Macron has offered to help Arsène Wenger mount a challenge for FIFA’s top job, including lobbying other world leaders on behalf of the former Arsenal manager.
The intervention, first reported by The Telegraph on Thursday, comes as Wenger is expected to make a decision imminently on whether to oppose starter Gianni Infantino. The 77-year-old would announce his decision before the November 18 nomination deadline.
Macron is understood to have personally contacted Wenger and offered him political support should he enter the race, although it is unclear how much influence the French president would have given the next FIFA boss to be elected by national associations independent of their governments. The Telegraph also suggests that Macron’s intervention could have a negative impact on Wenger’s potential bid with some nations.
Wenger has worked at FIFA since 2019 as head of global football development, but the Frenchman publicly distanced himself from the Swiss’s failed FIFA Forward Enterprise bid and is expected not to renew his contract with the game’s global governing body.
Infantino has already confirmed that he will seek another term and has been campaigning since the sales farce. Kohzo Tashima of the Japan Football Association will challenge him, while ex-Swiss international Ramon Vega is also expected to feature.
The election will take place at the FIFA Congress in Rabat on 18 March 2027.
Contact the writer of this story, Harry Ewing, at (email protected)
