RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Brazilian presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro on Wednesday picked his running mate, a lawmaker from his party who will run for vice president in the October election after centrist parties largely failed to endorse his candidacy or opted to stay neutral in the race.
The senator and a son of former President Jair Bolsonaro was confirmed as the presidential candidate of his father’s Liberal Party last month. He will run against incumbent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and the two could go into a runoff if neither gets a majority vote.
But unlike his father, the younger Bolsonaro does not have the support of centrist parties in Brazil from which a vice-presidential candidate would have been expected. That lack of support has compounded his difficulties in choosing a running mate.
Alfredo Gaspar has been a member of Brazil’s lower house since 2023. Before that, he worked as a prosecutor and served as secretary of public security of the northeastern state of Alagoas.
“He is someone I’ve come to admire, and everyone here has come to admire him as well – for his courage, his honesty, and his track record in public security,” Flávio Bolsonaro said.
In his speech, Gaspar thanked Flávio Bolsonaro for trusting him and committed to their joint project, describing himself as a “simple person, someone from the northeast, but someone with a life story marked by a great deal of hard work.”
Bolsonaro had tried but failed to win over Agriculture Minister Tereza Cristina, who would have been a high-profile female running mate. His political movement has historically suffered from lower support from women voters.
Cristina's party has a stronghold in Congress and was key for Jair Bolsonaro’s presidency. It was not expected to field a presidential candidate and its distancing from the younger Bolsonaro has been surprising.
Since announcing that he had been chosen by his father to run in the election against Lula, Flávio Bolsonaro has run into a series of obstacles.
Support for his bid started to wane in May, after he admitted he had requested millions of dollars from jailed banker Daniel Vorcaro to pay for a film about his father’s life, a revelation that shocked many allies.
Bolsonaro then visited the White House and the U.S. State Department, touting his family's ties with U.S. President Donald Trump.
However, many voters, business leaders and politicians now blame him for the new tariffs imposed by the Trump administration on some Brazilian exports of up to 37.5%.
In June, Bolsonaro faced another blow: His stepmother recorded a video to say he had been disrespectful to her. They have since made amends.
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Brazilian presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro, center, poses for a photo with his wife Fernanda Bolsonaro, left, running mate Alfredo Gaspar, right, at en event to announce his ticket in Brasilia, Brazil, Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)
The association of European soccer leagues called for governance reform of FIFA on Wednesday, adding to the mounting pressure on president Gianni Infantino following his failed plan to sell stakes in the World Cup.
On the day that Infantino reportedly held a meeting with senior staff in Rabat, Morocco, European Leagues, which includes top competitions like the Premier League, La Liga and Serie A, described the proposal as “dangerous” and said it pointed to deeper concerns about how world soccer's governing body operates.
It said it raised “serious questions about FIFA’s governance, internal culture and decision-making.”
“Now more than ever, FIFA requires governance reform that ensures that all relevant stakeholders have a formal role in decisions that shape the future of our game.”
In the statement, European Leagues hit out at the possibility of further expanding the World Cup to 64 teams and said “FIFA must not be allowed to continue taking unilaterally disruptive decisions.”
It said that until there was reform it would reject the “expansion or creation” of FIFA competitions.
Portugal and Real Madrid great Luis Figo also called for Infantino to step down, saying he had “debased the office.”
Later on Wednesday, FIFA denied a British media report suggesting Infantino, in seeking support for his presidency, had offered Morocco the hosting of the final at the 2030 World Cup. Spain, Portugal and Morocco are the main co-hosts for the 2030 edition. Morocco hopes to host the final at the planned 115,000-seat King Hassan II Stadium near Casablanca; Spain has at least two contenders — the home stadiums of Real Madrid and Barcelona.
A FIFA spokesperson said it's “false and misleading to claim the FIFA president has made any promise in relation to hosting the FIFA World Cup 2030 final. A decision will be made by FIFA in due course.”
The latest condemnations of Infantino's leadership come after a tumultuous week, which has raised questions about his presidency of FIFA ahead of elections in March.
European soccer's governing body UEFA has applied the most intense pressure by voting to boycott the World Cup if Infantino pressed ahead with the controversial plans to sell profits in its top competition through a commercial subsidiary called FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) that would run tournaments.
Even after Infantino's climbdown UEFA said it had lost confidence in FIFA’s leadership — possibly paving the way for a challenge to his presidency. The governing body for North and Central American and Caribbean soccer (CONCACAF) also said FIFA leadership had “stopped putting football first.”
On Tuesday top FIFA officials Arsène Wenger and secretary-general Mattias Grafström distanced themselves from the FFE plans, which emphasized divisions within the organization that were evident when Infantino's senior adviser Carlos Cordeiro resigned last week and chief operating officer Kevin Lamour said staff were “deceived” by the president's lack of openness.
Wednesday's summit in Rabat was dubbed a “crisis meeting” in media reports amid growing expectation that Infantino will be challenged in next year's election when he was aiming for to win a fourth and final term in office.
James Robson is at https://x.com/jamesalanrobson
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
FILE - FIFA President Gianni Infantino is silhouetted as he walks past the World Cup trophy after addressing the 76th FIFA Congress in Vancouver, British Columbia, Thursday, April 30, 2026. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP, File)
A view of building where FIFA President Gianni Infantino holds a senior leadership meeting in Sale, Morocco, Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Str)
A vehicle carrying FIFA President Gianni Infantino arrives for a senior leadership meeting in Sale, Morocco, Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026. (AP Photo)
FILE - FIFA President Gianni Infantino looks on during the women's Premier League match between Al Ahli FC and Al Ittihad FC at the Al- Ahli Club stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Thursday, Dec 14, 2023. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez, File)
