Nasser Al-Khelaifi, the Paris Saint-Germain president and high-ranking Uefa executive, has no interest in leading a challenge to Gianni Infantino's presidency of FIFA, according to sources within his camp.

Infantino's grip on the FIFA presidency has been weakened by an internal rift triggered by proposals to sell stakes in a new commercial subsidiary to private investors, including members of Donald Trump's extended family. The crisis deepened on Thursday when a senior advisor resigned in protest at the plans, describing them as "troubling" and "a bad deal for football." The proposal marks an unprecedented shift for FIFA, which has historically controlled its commercial operations — largely built on World Cup broadcast and sponsorship rights generating billions of dollars per cycle — through its own statutory bodies rather than external equity holders.

Al-Khelaifi, who also chairs the global broadcaster BeIn Media Group and leads the influential lobbying body European Football Clubs, has frequently been mentioned as a possible contender against Infantino, who faces re-election next year. The Qatari executive ranked second on City AM's Football Power List last month, behind only Infantino himself, having played a prominent role in the successful opposition to the proposed European Super League in 2021.

Al-Khelaifi's Camp Rejects FIFA Ambitions

Individuals close to Al-Khelaifi insist he has "zero interest" in pursuing the FIFA presidency, despite his credentials and his perceived ability to bridge European and Asian football interests. Friends noted that the former professional tennis player is content with his current lifestyle — which reportedly includes daily games of padel — and has deliberately refrained from publicly criticising FIFA, in order to avoid fuelling speculation about his ambitions.

"Mr. Al-Khelaifi has absolutely no ambition, no intention and no interest in the FIFA role and all this media noise, and instead will continue to quietly and constructively support all the institutions of world and European football," a spokesperson reiterated in a statement first issued earlier this week.

Nevertheless, he remains one of the most credible candidates should European stakeholders opt to mount a challenge to Infantino at the next FIFA elections. Al-Khelaifi sits on Uefa's executive committee — effectively serving as its de facto second-in-command — and is also a member of the FIFA Council, positions that collectively afford him considerable influence across the global game.

Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin represents the other obvious European contender, though he too has been notably absent from his organisation's sharp criticism of FIFA this week.

Beyond Europe, other potential successors to Infantino include Asian Football Confederation president Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, Confederation of African Football head Patrice Motsepe — who was backed by a South African government minister — and Canadian Victor Montagliani.

AFC and Infantino Advisor Deepen FIFA Leadership Crisis

The Asian Football Confederation issued pointed criticism of Infantino's leadership in a statement rejecting FIFA's plans for the new commercial vehicle.

"The AFC calls upon FIFA to undertake an urgent review of its governance and decision-making framework to ensure that proposals of global significance are developed through proper consultation, meaningful engagement and appropriate oversight by FIFA's statutory bodies," the confederation said.

The AFC also declared that it "stands in solidarity" with Uefa, after all 55 European member nations unanimously backed a boycott of the World Cup and other FIFA events unless the organisation abandons its plans to sell off stakes in the new entity, FIFA Forward Enterprise. UEFA had previously condemned the sell-off as "a money grab". The unified stance from two of FIFA's largest confederations represents the most coordinated challenge to the organisation's leadership in years and could shape the agenda in the lead-up to next year's presidential election.

Infantino's senior advisor Carlos Cordeiro intensified the turmoil on Thursday by announcing his resignation.

"Decisions of this magnitude should be made in the interests of football, not those who stand to profit from it," Cordeiro said.

A report by Politico had earlier identified Al-Khelaifi as a figure European factions might rally behind, while a post on X by journalist Rob Harris added to the growing media scrutiny surrounding FIFA's internal divisions.