PSG president Al-Khelaïfi says he won’t be candidate in FIFA presidential election

As a minister in the government of 2022 World Cup host Qatar — which has so far supported Infantino — Al-Khelaïfi also could have broad appeal to FIFA voters in Asia, yet he moved to quash speculation he might try to lead soccer’s governing body. | Photo Credit: REUTERS

European football’s search for a candidate to challenge Gianni Infantino in the FIFA presidential election will not land on clubs’ leader Nasser Al-Khelaïfi, the Paris Saint-Germain boss insisted Tuesday.

Al-Khelaïfi also is chairman of the influential European Football Clubs group and so sits on the executive committee of UEFA, which is leading efforts to oust Infantino after his failed plan to sell stakes in future World Cup profits to private investors.

As a minister in the government of 2022 World Cup host Qatar — which has so far supported Infantino — Al-Khelaïfi also could have broad appeal to FIFA voters in Asia, yet he moved to quash speculation he might try to lead soccer’s governing body.

“I have zero interest in FIFA, zero agenda (or) ambition to be there,” Al-Khelaïfi said at a news conference after an EFC annual meeting in the Danish capital Copenhagen.

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“I don’t think I’m the right guy for this position and I don’t want to go actually, I’m enjoying what I’m doing,” the president of Champions League title holder PSG said. “I think FIFA’s not for me. Thank you.”

The annual meeting of the 900-member club was held amid a volatile time for soccer politics and Infantino’s future.

It is two months after Infantino’s multi-billion dollar FIFA subsidiary plan was revealed, then defeated within days, and seven weeks before the deadline for candidates to challenge him.