Lecturer’s bid to challenge FIFA president Infantino

University lecturer Peter Auf der Heyde is launching an ambitious bid to challenge Gianni Infantino for the FIFA presidency. The former journalist and football club owner is seeking nomination to challenge the incumbent Infantino, and wants to be paid just $1 (75p) per year if he wins the role. South African Auf der Heyde lectures in journalism at Southampton Solent University and previously served as sports editor at Germany’s Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa).

He was president of the Grahamstown Soccer Association in South Africa and both owned and managed second-division side UDW FC in the early 1990s. “I feel very strongly that there needs to be a challenge in any election,” Auf der Heyde told BBC Radio Solent. “There should not be an uncontested election, and in this case Infantino needs to be challenged.

It’s important for accountability and transparency.” For Auf der Heyde to challenge Infantino in the March 2027 election, he will need to be nominated by five football associations. Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is also considering standing against the current president, who faced calls to stand down following a controversial plan to sell off stakes in the governing body’s competitions to private investors.

Infantino insisted he has the backing of the “vast, vast majority” of world football, and laughed off questions about whether he had considered resigning his position. He is seeking a fourth and final term but faces competition from Kozo Tashima, the honorary president of the Japan Football Association, and former Tottenham Hotspur and Switzerland defender Ramon Vega.

The deadline for candidates to confirm they are standing against Infantino is 18 November. “I’m not asking for countries to vote for me, I’m asking for them to nominate me,” added Auf der Heyde. “Once you have a nomination and become an official candidate, you can then ask questions [to other candidates] that you can’t ask otherwise. “Infantino earned around $6m (£4.49m) last year, which I think is ridiculous.

I would suggest that $450,000 (£337,259) is a very adequate salary, and in my case I would ask to be paid $1 per year, and after four years, if I have maintained my promises, then I can get the remaining money.” ‘Emerging nations World Cup’ part of manifesto Auf der Heyde revealed that so far he has written to all 211 of Fifa’s member associations, with replies already from the Jamaican and English Football Associations.

He broke down his manifesto for the role into three sections, with a key part of that being a new global competition for smaller footballing nations. Only 48 nations qualify for the men’s World Cup finals every four years with 163 missing out. “I’d like to see an emerging nations World Cup,” said Auf der Heyde, who covered 13 consecutive Africa Cup of Nations as a journalist.

“This would be for countries like Eswatini, Andorra and San Marino, who will quite frankly never qualify for the World Cup. “They should be allowed in my view to play for a global competition where only these kind of countries have a chance to play. “It would be wonderful if winning teams from that competition could then qualify further for the World Cup.”