UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has described FIFA’s abandoned plans to sell stakes in the organisation’s commercial operations as “worse than the Super League”, while ruling himself out of challenging Gianni Infantino for the FIFA presidency.
Ceferin, 57, has been regarded as one of the potential figures capable of mounting a challenge to Infantino at the FIFA Congress in March 2027.
However, the UEFA chief has confirmed that he will not contest the election. “I’m not interested because of two reasons,” Ceferin said on The Rest Is Politics podcast. “One reason is that I love UEFA and I love working here, and I think that at a certain point, it’s time to also enjoy life a bit.”
He also believes remaining outside the presidential race would strengthen his ability to criticise FIFA’s leadership where necessary. “The second point is, my credibility is much, much higher if I’m not interested in the position,” he added.
Despite ruling himself out, Ceferin expects Infantino either to recognise that he no longer commands sufficient support or to face an opponent when FIFA members vote next year.
“One option is that he realises that he doesn’t have the support,” Ceferin said, stressing that the issue went beyond the backing of voting associations to include “the political support of football community, the political support of fans, the political support of the players, former players, coaches.”
FFE Proposal Sparked Major Rift With UEFA
The dispute centres on FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), a proposed move that would have managed the commercial and ticketing rights connected to FIFA competitions.
Under the plan, 21% of the new entity would have been sold to a private investment company, opening part of FIFA’s future commercial revenues to outside investors.
The proposal triggered strong opposition from UEFA and several football associations, which accused FIFA of pursuing the plan without adequate consultation.
UEFA, Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation also accused Infantino of breaking trust “through deception”, while a number of national associations subsequently withdrew their support for the FIFA president.
Ceferin said UEFA had no prior knowledge of the proposal and that he first learned about it through the media while on holiday with his family. He also rejected the argument that European opposition was motivated by Europe’s financial strength.
“They play on, you know, ‘how arrogant Europe is against us: They have enough money, but I help the small and the poor’. But I think someone should remind him that he is a European, and that he was supported by UEFA, which he forgot.”
Aleksander Ceferin, UEFA President
Ceferin went further in his assessment of the abandoned project, comparing it unfavourably with the European Super League, a proposed breakaway competition involving some of Europe’s biggest clubs.
“I think this plan is even worse than the Super League. 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.”
Aleksander Ceferin, UEFA President
The Super League proposal collapsed within days of its announcement in April 2021 following intense opposition from supporters, football authorities and governments.
Ceferin insists the FFE proposal is now dead. “I’m absolutely sure that the plan is dead,” he said. “It’s hard to imagine what kind of people would sell the sport that belongs to everyone. We will not allow that to happen.”
Infantino has nevertheless continued efforts to maintain support among FIFA members, travelling internationally in recent weeks. He met Caribbean Football Union representatives in the Dominican Republic and later attended the Esports World Cup in Paris.
The FIFA president has also faced scrutiny over his relationship with United States President Donald Trump.
Trump previously revealed that he contacted Infantino regarding Folarin Balogun’s red-card suspension, which was later overturned before the United States’ World Cup last-16 defeat by Belgium.
Ceferin described the episode as deeply troubling for football governance.
“That was more than shocking. We have rules, and if you don’t respect your own rules, then the game doesn’t make any sense. The president of a country says: ‘I called him, and I told him to look at it.’ And then the FIFA president says it was an independent decision. I mean, for us as football fans, or for us as a governing body, that’s shocking.”
Aleksander Ceferin, Uefa President
Infantino remains supported by South American governing body CONMEBOL and the Confederation of African Football, CAF, but opposition from several other confederations has intensified pressure ahead of the 2027 FIFA presidential election.
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