International Football
FIFA ELECTION: INFANTINO’S WOULD BE CHALLENGER, RAMON VEGA THROWS A BOMB
BY PAUL NICHOLSON.
It is harder to get five nominations for the FIFA presidency than it is to get 100 votes in the election, said Ramon Vega, who is putting together a challenge for the top job at the world governing body. To him, it is democracy versus fear when it comes to FIFA election.
Vega has spent his own money travelling the world lobbying for his candidature and says that while he has a lot of support there is a real “fear” by federations, especially within the smaller ones, that FIFA’s president and his iron-fisted executive will punish them if they are seen to question his rule.
Asked whether he has his five member association nominations for the presidency he laughs. “Spiritually and philosophically I have 106, actually perhaps a bit less, but it is a significant number. That of course is meaningless if I don’t have the first five and we are close – we just need a little bit more bravery,” said Vega.
Asked if he could win he said: “Look, sometimes it is not just about winning and losing. Of course I think I could win but there needs to be some time for people to get to know me better and what I would do within FIFA if I was elected. They need to get that chance and then decide for themselves.
“First we need to get on the ballot sheet and let’s see who has the courage to be one of those five penalty takers. I think I know who they are, perhaps we will have a few more,” he said.
“What I promise is that FIFA would become a welcoming, transparent and fair organisation that would put football first. And I think federations would find that they have more money, not less, and delivered in a fairer way with more support.”
Vega keeps returning to theme of democracy and transparency. Two concepts that have always been a challenge for FIFA.
“What is needed is that their needs to be a challenge and a debate on the future of world football. At the moment power is concentrated in too few hands who reinforce their power in uncomfortable ways because the structure has been circumvented to allow this. I have met very few federations who are happy with this. It is easier to stand up as part of a bigger group to debate. Being one of the first five takes a bit more courage.
“I know that many federations live in fear of FIFA because that is where they get their money. It is their lifeblood, it is how they finance their football and their people. I understand this but sometimes people have to be a little brave and stand up for what they really belive and make a difference. They need to look at themselves a little bit and ask some tough questions.”
Asked about the use of the money sloshing around in the organisation, he said: “The money is not the problem – money does not have a character, trust me, I know, I have been an investment banker. It is the characters that control that money and how they control it where there is danger. We saw that problem in FIFA before – people went to prison. We must not let this pattern repeat itself.”
“FIFA must be a democracy, it shouldn’t be afraid to debate its future openly and with transparency. Only that way will it be a truly world game. I don’t think you could honestly call it a world game now. Too many people have lost their voices or had them removed,” he continued.
“I do think you could call it a playground for global politics and that is getting worse. This is very worrying for the sport. For many of the people I have spoken to it really is time for them to stand up and be counted but sometimes you just have to ask the questions and send a message.” There is little doubt Vega has sent a message.
- Paul Nicholson writes for insidewordfootball.com
Representatives from four national players’ unions on Thursday launched a new global organisation in Madrid, which they say will strengthen footballers’ rights and improve dialogue with governing bodies.
Opening a new front in the battle over who speaks for players, the International Footballers’ Association (AIF) was unveiled, with David Aganzo, president of Spain’s Association of Footballers (AFE) and a former head of the global union FIFPRO, appointed to lead the organisation.
Players’ unions from Brazil, Mexico and Switzerland were also represented.
The initiative drew a swift rebuke from FIFPRO, which said in a statement that Aganzo was acting out of self-interest and aligning himself with organisations linked to football governing bodies, as well as groups expelled from FIFPRO over alleged mismanagement.
Aganzo rejected the criticism, saying he “will not seek confrontation with FIFPRO”.
The launch comes amid strained relations between players’ unions and football authorities, particularly over the expanding international match calendar.
Relations between FIFA and FIFPRO deteriorated in 2024 after the union lodged a complaint with the European Commission, arguing that the global governing body was abusing its dominant position by adding competitions without sufficient consultation.
Aganzo denied suggestions that the new initiative was backed by FIFA president Gianni Infantino, but said “direct dialogue with FIFA” was essential.
AFE’s Extraordinary General Assembly approved the initiative in February with 99.8% of votes cast in favour of spearheading the creation of the AIF.
The same assembly also backed AFE’s withdrawal from FIFPRO, citing what it described as a “complete lack of transparency, as well as its total lack of dialogue with international bodies.”
“We represent over 30,000 footballers, and we come here with a new model aimed at safeguarding players’ rights and facilitating direct communication with all international bodies,” Aganzo told reporters.
“We are in contact with 15 to 20 unions already who were very aware of this moment and waiting for this announcement to make their move and join our initiative.”
He declined to identify any unions beyond those present.
Asked about a report that a senior envoy to U.S. President Donald Trump had urged FIFA to replace Iran with Italy at the upcoming World Cup, Aganzo urged caution.
“These are more political issues; on April 30th, I’ll be speaking to Gianni (Infantino) at the FIFA Congress, and we will discuss those things,” Aganzo said.
“People who want to go to the World Cup have to earn their place on sporting merit.”
-Reuters
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A new trial over the death of Argentine soccer legend Diego Maradona will begin on Tuesday, with seven members of his medical team charged with negligent homicide nearly a year after a previous case collapsed in a mistrial.
An enduring presence in Argentina – from towering murals to tattoos, opens new tab – Maradona died on November 25, 2020, at 60, after a heart attack while he was recuperating from brain surgery to remove a blood clot.
A court in San Isidro, near Buenos Aires, will hear testimony from just under 100 witnesses as it tries Maradona’s medical team over alleged negligence in the death of the 1986 World Cup champion.
His medical team has denied wrongdoing. The defendants are psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov, neurosurgeon Leopoldo Luque, psychologist Carlos Angel Diaz, physician Nancy Edith Forlini, nurse Ricardo Almiron, head nurse Mariano Ariel Perroni, and physician Pedro Pablo Di Spagna. An eighth defendant, nurse Dahiana Madrid, will be tried in a separate jury trial, with no date yet set.
Two months into the first trial, which started last March, a mistrial was declared when one of three judges, Julieta Makintach, resigned after video surfaced showing her being interviewed by a camera crew in the corridors of the courthouse and in her office as part of a documentary, in breach of judicial rules.
The retrial will require both prosecutors and defense lawyers to reassess their strategies after the first trial aired photographs, videos, audio recordings and forensic evidence. Many witnesses, including Maradona’s children and his former wife, Claudia Villafane, have already testified.
Prosecutors argued in the initial trial that medical professionals broke treatment protocols and that the home where Maradona was recovering from surgery amounted to a “theatre of horror,” where necessary care was not provided.
The defense countered that his death was inevitable given his longstanding health problems. Maradona struggled for decades with cocaine and alcohol addiction.
The negligence charges emerged in 2021 after prosecutors appointed a medical board to investigate Maradona’s death. The panel concluded his medical team acted in an “inappropriate, deficient and reckless” manner.
-Reuters
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Aliou Cisse has been named coach of the Angola national team, the country’s football federation (FAF) announced on Thursday, 24 hours after the Senegalese left his post in Libya.
The 50-year-old coach, who led Senegal to their maiden Africa Cup of Nations title in 2022, ended his short stint with the Libyan national team on Wednesday, after taking charge in March 2025.
“Welcome, Aliou Cisse, head coach of the Angola national team,” the FAF said on Facebook. Angola, which failed to reach this year’s World Cup, will start their 2027 AFCON qualifying campaign in September.
-Reuters
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