UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has launched a scathing attack on FIFA counterpart Gianni Infantino, describing his abandoned scheme to sell stakes in the World Cup as more damaging to football than the breakaway Super League project. Speaking on the podcast The Rest is Politics: Leading, Ceferin made clear his belief that the plan, known as the FIFA Forward Enterprise scheme, represented a graver threat to the sport's integrity than the failed 2021 attempt by elite clubs to form a closed competition.
"I think this plan is even worse than the Super League plan," Ceferin said. "In the first case, super-important clubs wanted to do their own league, which is wrong and would destroy football. But in this case, football would be literally sold."
The FFE proposal was quietly shelved earlier this month following widespread pushback from national federations and confederations. UEFA has been at the forefront of resistance to the plan, coordinating with the Asian Football Confederation and Concacaf, and has kept alive the possibility of boycotting FIFA competitions while discussions continue with Concacaf about launching a joint Nations League tournament.
Ceferin expressed confidence that the sell-off scheme was permanently dead, calling it inconceivable that anyone would attempt to commercialize the sport in such a manner. "For me, the most important thing is that we stopped another try to sell the sport. It's hard to imagine what kind of people would sell the sport that belongs to everyone," he said. He also addressed recent reports that Infantino had explored running a Super League-style competition under FIFA's banner, suggesting such an idea would not resurface for at least a decade, if ever. "It might happen in 20 years, you never know, but for now we cooperate with everyone in a great way. I'm sure it cannot happen in the next 10 years," he said.
The rift between the two governing body chiefs appears to be deepening. Ceferin revealed he has had no contact with Infantino since the controversy erupted, even as the FIFA president spent the weekend attempting to shore up support among Concacaf members during a gathering in the Dominican Republic—a visit that reportedly angered several attendees. Ceferin suggested Infantino's grip on power is weakening and outlined two possible outcomes ahead of FIFA's presidential election in Rabat next March. "One option is that he realises that he doesn't have the support... the political support of fans, the political support of the players, former players, coaches," he said. "And the second option is that he goes to the elections in March, but in that case, I think he will have a candidate against him. I don't know yet who." Concacaf president Victor Montagliani has emerged as a possible challenger.
Ceferin, who is expected to seek a fourth term as UEFA president unopposed next April, ruled out any ambition to pursue the FIFA presidency himself, arguing his influence depends on staying above the fray. "My credibility is much, much, much higher if I'm not interested in the position," he said.
The UEFA chief also commented on Infantino's much-publicized relationship with Donald Trump, cautioning against viewing political friendships as genuine. "To be honest, I think you are naive if you think that a politician like that, or any politician, is your good friend. The moment you are a problem, you stop being a friend of a politician," Ceferin said. He also referenced the controversy surrounding Trump's intervention regarding a red card shown to USA striker Folarin Balogun, whose suspension for a last-16 match against Belgium was later overturned. "That was more than shocking," Ceferin said. "We have rules and if you don't respect your own rules, then the game doesn't make any sense. That's shocking and, trust me, almost everybody was shocked. Just not everybody dared to speak."
Adding to the pressure on Infantino, the six Nordic football federations issued a joint statement declaring they had lost confidence in his leadership and demanding guarantees that FIFA would never again consider private ownership of its competitions, along with a full independent review of the FFE scheme. Norway's federation had already become the first member association to publicly call for Infantino's resignation earlier this month.
Despite the mounting criticism, Infantino continued his diplomatic schedule, traveling from the Dominican Republic to Paris on Sunday for the closing ceremony of the Esports World Cup, where he was seen greeting French President Emmanuel Macron.
Based on reporting from The Guardian.