Ramon Vega confirms FIFA presidential bid to challenge Infantino

Ramon Vega has confirmed he intends to run for FIFA president, with the ex-Tottenham defender, 55, set to challenge Gianni Infantino in next year’s election.

As BBC Sport reports, Vega becomes the first person to publicly confirm they want to challenge Infantino, who has faced calls to step down after backlash over his failed plan to sell World Cup stakes to private investors.

The former Switzerland centre-back also played for Celtic and Watford, and has worked in finance since retiring from football in 2004. In his statement, Vega said he is standing to “reunite the global football family”, deliver “genuine and lasting reform”, modernise FIFA and restore stability, credibility and trust.

Asia eases its line

At the same time, Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, president of the Asian Football Confederation, has written to Infantino distancing himself from an external review of FIFA’s governance system. In the letter seen by BBC Sport, Salman suggests FIFA’s council creates a working group to examine reforms “rather than being outsourced to an external party”.

Last month, Infantino said he is “fully committed to leading FIFA” despite UEFA, Concacaf and the AFC calling for him to quit. FIFA’s council meets in Zurich next week for the first time since the FFE plan emerged in July.