UEFA President Alexander Ceferin said Gianni Infantino’s failed plan to sell his World Cup stake was “even worse than the European Super League plan” and warned the troubled FIFA president that he would face competition if he ran for re-election next March.
Ceferin leads UEFA in a firm opposition to FIFA's Forward Enterprise (FFE) plan, which was shelved in early August amid widespread opposition. UEFA is pushing for Infantino's resignation, while securing support from CONCACAF and AFC. UEFA has not abandoned its threat to boycott FIFA events during negotiations with CONCACAF to form a unified national league.
In an interview on the podcast "The Other Side of Politics: Leadership," Ceferin criticized Infantino's plan, saying it would cause more damage than the separatist European Super League, which was shelved in 2021 due to massive protests. "I think this plan is even worse than the European Super League plan," he said. "In the former case, some extremely important clubs wanted to form their own league, which was wrong and would destroy football. But in this case, football could really be sold."
“I’m absolutely certain that the FFE plan has failed. For me, the most important thing is that we’ve prevented yet another attempt to sell the sport. It’s hard to imagine anyone selling football that belongs to everyone.”
Earlier this month, reports surfaced that Gianni Infantino had discussed operating the European Super League under FIFA's name. Ceferin believes that even if this plan were to be restarted, it would be decades away. "It could happen in 20 years, who knows? But currently we are working very well with everyone. I'm certain it won't happen within the next 10 years," he said.
Infantino spent most of the weekend at a meeting in the Dominican Republic seeking support from CONCACAF members, which angered many attendees. Ceferin revealed that he and Infantino had not been in contact since the FFE scandal broke; in his view, the FIFA president's space for maneuver is shrinking.
“I haven’t spoken to him, and he hasn’t contacted me since this happened,” he said. “But he has two options. The first is that he realizes he doesn’t have any supporters. This includes not only the political support of voters, but also the political support of the football community, fans, current players, retired players, and coaches.”
“The second option is for him to run in the election next March. But if that happens, I think he will face a competitor. I don’t know who that competitor is yet.” CONCACAF president John Victor Montagliani is considered a potential rival to Infantino in the Rabat election.
Ceferin also has his own supporters, but he has ruled out running for FIFA president. "My credibility would be much higher if I weren't interested in the position," he said. The Slovenian is expected to run for a fourth term as UEFA president next April, at which point he may face no competition.
When asked if Gianni Infantino was getting too close to John Nwankwo Trump, Ceferin said, "Frankly, if you think that kind of politician, or any politician, is your good friend, then you're being naive. When you become the problem, you're no longer a politician's friend." Infantino had cultivated a close relationship with Trump before the most recent World Cup.
Last month, Trump claimed he called Gianni Infantino to request a review of the red card received by American striker Balogun. Balogun was subsequently suspended, allowing him to play in the World Cup Round of 16 match against Belgium. This brought the relationship to the forefront. "That was truly shocking," Ceferin said. "We have rules, and if you don't even respect your own rules, the game has no meaning. It's shocking, believe me, almost everyone is shocked. It's just that not everyone dares to say it."
Meanwhile, opposition to Infantino in Europe has intensified again, with six Nordic football associations issuing a statement saying they "have lost confidence in the FIFA president and have serious concerns about FIFA's governance and top-level decision-making." They demanded a binding guarantee from FIFA that it will never again "open its governance system or competitions to private owners," and called for a comprehensive third-party review of the FFE plan.
Earlier in August, the Norwegian Football Association became the first member association to directly call for Gianni Infantino's resignation.
Gianni Infantino traveled directly from the Dominican Republic to Paris on Sunday to attend the closing ceremony of the eSports World Cup. Television footage showed him exchanging greetings with French President Emmanuel Macron.
