Former Swiss international defender Ramon Vega has announced his intention to run for the presidency of FIFA against incumbent president Gianni Infantino, who has faced criticism since last summer following the failure of a plan to open the governing body to private investment.
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Vega has previously expressed his desire to lead FIFA on several occasions, most recently in 2022. However, he did not complete the required nomination process, which notably requires the support of at least five of FIFA’s 211 member associations.
The 55-year-old Vega has worked in finance since retiring from football in 2004.
He had considered running against Infantino after Sepp Blatter resigned following a corruption scandal in 2015.
Vega also attempted to challenge his compatriot in 2022 but failed to secure enough support to qualify as a candidate.
“The situation has changed significantly since then,” Vega said, adding that football associations are now “more open to change” than they were during his previous attempts.
In his election platform, the former defender said he wants to “reunite the football family, restore trust, achieve stability and modernize FIFA’s governance.”
Swiss-Italian Infantino, 56, has led FIFA since 2016 and remains the favorite in the election scheduled to take place at the FIFA Congress in Rabat on March 18, 2027, despite criticism following the announcement of his failed project to establish a commercial entity open to private-sector investors.
Infantino faces a united front from the European governing body UEFA, CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation, although no candidate has yet been nominated to represent the opposition.
The deadline for submitting nominations is November 18.
