Ex-Spurs player Vega set to run for Fifa president

Former Tottenham defender Ramon Vega says he intends to run in next year's Fifa presidential election – becoming the first person to confirm they want to challenge Gianni Infantino. Former Tottenham Hotspur defender Ramon Vega says he intends to stand as a candidate in next year's Fifa presidential election. The 55-year-old is the first person to confirm they want to challenge Gianni Infantino, who has defied calls to step down in the wake of his failed plan to sell off stakes in the World Cup to private investors, which has sparked a major backlash across football. A former Switzerland centre-back, Vega also played for Celtic and Watford and has worked in finance since retiring from football in 2004.

"I am standing to reunite the global football family, deliver genuine and lasting reform, modernise Fifa for the 21st Century, restore stability and credibility, and rebuild the trust that our game urgently needs," he said. Meanwhile, Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa – president of the Asian Football Confederation – has written to Infantino, distancing himself from an external review of Fifa's governance system. In his letter – seen by BBC Sport – Sheikh Salman proposes that Fifa's council sets up a working group to examine potential reforms, "rather than being outsourced to an external party". Last month, Infantino said he was