By Adegboyega Adeleye Former Tottenham Hotspur defender Ramon Vega has declared his intention to challenge Gianni Infantino for the FIFA presidency, becoming the first person to officially announce a bid against the incumbent ahead of next year’s election. According to the BBC, the 55-year-old former Switzerland international, who also played for Celtic and Watford, said his campaign would focus on reforming FIFA, restoring credibility and rebuilding trust across the global football community.
“I am standing to reunite the global football family, deliver genuine and lasting reform, modernise FIFA for the 21st Century, restore stability and credibility, and rebuild the trust that our game urgently needs,” Vega said. Last month, Infantino said he was “fully committed to leading Fifa” despite calls from UEFA, Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation for him to quit.
Vega considered running for FIFA’s top job in 2015 following the suspension of former president Sepp Blatter. He also announced in 2019 that he would stand against Infantino but failed to secure the backing of the required five of FIFA’s 211 member federations to be included on the ballot. “I am standing because my life has prepared me to serve the game,” Vega said in a statement announcing his candidacy.
“Football does not belong to presidents, confederations or administrators. Football is greater than any position, any individual or any institution. “It is the people’s game and belongs to everyone: the players, coaches, referees, supporters, volunteers, clubs, leagues, associations and communities that give football its life.” Vega said the game had been weakened by divisions within its administration and called for fundamental reforms. “The current leadership has demoralised the game.
Weak governance has damaged Fifa’s credibility and eroded trust across the global football family. We must stop this conflict from escalating,” he said. “Ego-driven battles within football administration must