Ceferin opens fire: Football is bigger than Infantino

Slovenian Aleksander Čeferin, president of UEFA, escalated his criticism of FIFA president Gianni Infantino, asserting that the future of the game must remain tied to its institutions and stakeholders, not to the individuals who manage it. Speaking at the European Club Association's general assembly in Copenhagen, Čeferin stated that football is capable of evolving, growing, and achieving greater success for clubs and competitions, but emphasized that the game is bigger than its administrators. He added that those in charge of football are "guardians of the game, not its owners," alluding to his disagreements with Infantino regarding FIFA's management style and recent commercial plans. The UEFA president's remarks come amidst the ongoing dispute over FIFA's Forward Enterprise project, which involved creating a FIFA-affiliated commercial company with a stake open to private investors, linked to the commercial rights of major tournaments, including the World Cup and the Club World Cup. The project was halted last July following objections from UEFA and other continental federations. Ceferin used the story of "The Emperor's New Clothes" during his speech, alluding to what he sees as an attempt to conceal the true nature of the project behind glittering rhetoric, before directly addressing the audience, saying it was time to put an end to this approach. The UEFA president stressed that money can help football grow, but it should not be the determining factor in what the game compromises, emphasizing that Europe will not hesitate to voice its position on issues concerning the future of football. The dispute between UEFA and FIFA has escalated in recent months over the commercial project, with the European federation taking legal action in the United States to obtain documents related to FIFA's plan, in preparation for what UEFA described as a potential complaint in Switzerland regarding the project's management. In response, FIFA accused UEFA of waging a "disinformation campaign" and attempting to influence the FIFA presidential election scheduled for March 2027. FIFA stated in a legal brief that the accusations against Infantino regarding his pursuit of personal gain from the project are unfounded, and that the company's plan was, according to them, subject to approvals and oversight mechanisms within FIFA. UEFA said in August that it was preparing to file a criminal complaint in Switzerland against Infantino over what it described as mismanagement related to the FIFA Forward Enterprise project, and also asked a US court for permission to obtain documents and certificates related to the project.