Peter Auf der Heyde seeks nominations to challenge Infantino for FIFA presidency

University lecturer Peter Auf der Heyde is seeking nominations to challenge Gianni Infantino for the FIFA presidency, BBC Sport reported. The South African former journalist and football club owner has proposed taking an initial salary of $1 a year if elected, while arguing that the governing body's presidential election should not go uncontested.

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Auf der Heyde must secure nominations from five football associations to become a candidate for the election in March 2027. The deadline for candidates to confirm that they are standing against Infantino is 18 November. His effort is therefore currently a nomination bid, rather than a confirmed place on the ballot. He told BBC Radio Solent that he was asking countries to nominate him, not yet asking for their votes.

Auf der Heyde lectures in journalism at Southampton Solent University and previously worked as sports editor of Germany's Deutsche Presse-Agentur news agency. His football background includes serving as president of the Grahamstown Soccer Association in South Africa. He also owned and managed UDW FC, a second-division club, in the early 1990s, according to the BBC report.

Explaining the bid, he said a contested election was important for accountability and transparency. He argued that attaining official candidate status would allow him to put questions to other contenders that he could not otherwise ask. His immediate objective is to obtain the backing required to enter the election and challenge the incumbent through that process.

Pay is another element of his proposal. Auf der Heyde told the BBC that he considered an annual presidential salary of $450,000 adequate. For himself, however, he proposed receiving only $1 annually during a four-year term, with the remaining money payable afterwards if he had fulfilled his promises. That makes his proposal conditional on delivery, rather than an unconditional waiver of the full salary.

Infantino is seeking a fourth and final term. BBC Sport also identified Japan Football Association honorary president Kozo Tashima and former Switzerland and Tottenham defender Ramon Vega as challengers. Infantino has insisted that he retains broad support across world football and has dismissed questions about resigning. Auf der Heyde's next hurdle is securing enough association nominations before the deadline.