Watzke regrets Čeferin's decision to not run for FIFA presidency

German Football Federation (DFB) vice president Hans-Joachim Watzke currently sees no strong challenger to controversial FIFA president Gianni Infantino in the football ruling body's upcoming presidential election in March 2027. 

Following UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin's decision not to run, there is currently no one "about whom I would say: That's a surefire success," Watzke said in an interview with broadcasters Sky and RTL.

To make a fresh start at the helm of FIFA, "we need to talk to the other confederations and see who has the best chances," Watzke emphasized. 

So far, no one other than Infantino has announced their intention to run for the position.

"Well, if we had someone who everyone would rally behind, let's say we were 20 years back in time and had a Franz Beckenbauer whom we could motivate, then that would, of course, have been the ideal scenario. Someone like Aleksander Čeferin would have been the ideal candidate for me. But he said that his personal life plans are different, and you have to respect that," Watzke said.

Infantino has been under fire for weeks after unveiling plans worth billions to sell World Cup rights to private investors last month. Following major protests, including UEFA's threat of a World Cup boycott, the FIFA boss withdrew the proposal. 

"The World Cup is a cash cow. You don't need an investor, it pays for itself, and then some. In principle, this can't be a decision made by one person either. You can't pull off something like this behind closed doors with just two or three people. That's just not the way to do things," Watzke said.