Ramón Vega’s third attempt to enter FIFA’s presidential race brings an old Serie A figure back into football’s political argument. The former Switzerland defender, whose brief spell at Cagliari ended with relegation in 1996-97, has announced that he will challenge Gianni Infantino and has made restoring trust in the game the centre of his campaign.
A third run at the FIFA presidency
- Vega first sought the FIFA presidency in 2015, following Sepp Blatter’s suspension.
- He tried again four years later, but on both occasions he failed to secure the backing required to reach the ballot.
- FIFA candidates must be supported by five of its 211 member associations. Vega did not obtain that threshold in either previous campaign.
- He has now declared a third candidacy, setting himself once more against Infantino.
The immediate challenge for Vega is therefore not the vote itself, but the search for the five national associations needed to formalise his place in the election.
Trust and reform at the heart of Vega’s message
Presenting his programme, Vega said he wanted to bring the global football community back together, pursue meaningful and lasting reform, update FIFA for the modern era and return credibility and stability to the organisation.
“I am standing because my life has prepared me to serve this sport,” Vega said, arguing that football should not be treated as the property of presidents, confederations or administrators. In his view, the game belongs to the public and is greater than any individual office or institution.
He described division as a force that has damaged the unity of world football and accused FIFA’s present leadership of weakening morale and undermining confidence within the game’s international family. Vega said the dispute must not be allowed to deepen further.
His criticism extended to the effect that internal power struggles can have beyond the boardroom. “Battles driven by ego” must not be allowed to hurt players, coaches, referees or supporters, he said, because they bear no responsibility for such disputes.
Vega used stark language in calling for change, saying football was effectively in intensive care and could not wait for superficial adjustments. He called instead for decisive reform, renewed trust, greater stability and a modernised FIFA administration.
Swiss dissent and a familiar obstacle
Last month, the Swiss Football Association became the most recent national body to withdraw its support for Infantino seeking another term as FIFA president. Vega’s intervention therefore comes amid dissent in his own country, although he must now turn that atmosphere into formal backing for his candidacy.
After his playing career, Vega moved towards sports politics. His football record includes international appearances for Switzerland and four seasons with Tottenham, where he won the League Cup in 1999.
Before England, he had experienced Serie A with Cagliari during the 1996-97 season, a difficult campaign that concluded in relegation. He later joined Celtic for 2000-01 and won Scotland’s domestic treble: the Scottish Premier League, Scottish Cup and Scottish League Cup.
For Vega, the public declaration has been made. The harder part, as in 2015 and 2019, is persuading five football associations to give his campaign the formal support it needs to reach FIFA’s electoral stage.
