Aleksander Ceferin has left little doubt about the depth of his anger towards Gianni Infantino, describing the FIFA president's now-abandoned plan to sell a stake in the World Cup as more damaging to the sport than the ill-fated European Super League proposal of 2021.
Speaking on The Rest Is Politics podcast, the UEFA president did not mince his words. "I think this plan is even worse than the Super League plan," Ceferin said. "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."
What was Infantino's plan?
Earlier this month, FIFA quietly shelved Infantino's proposal to establish a new commercial vehicle — FIFA Forward Enterprise — that would have consolidated the commercial and ticketing rights to all FIFA competitions under one roof, with 21 per cent of that entity offered to a private investment company. The scheme collapsed after UEFA led a coordinated opposition effort, with its member associations voting to boycott future World Cups unless the plan was scrapped entirely.
The fallout has been severe. UEFA has publicly declared it has lost confidence in Infantino, and the football associations of England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland have all withdrawn their support for the 56-year-old Swiss administrator.
Ceferin said he first learned of the proposal not through any direct communication from FIFA but through media reports while he was on holiday with his family. "He didn't contact me since this happened," he said of Infantino.
A pointed reminder of Infantino's roots
The UEFA president's sharpest line was a pointed reminder of where Infantino came from. Infantino spent 16 years at UEFA, nine of them as general secretary, before ascending to the FIFA presidency in 2016. His rise was built on European support — a fact Ceferin clearly feels has since been conveniently forgotten.
"They play on, you know, 'arrogant Europe is against us: they have enough money, but I help the small and the poor'," Ceferin said. "But I think someone should remind him that he is a European, and that he was supported by UEFA, which he forgot."
The accusation carries weight. Infantino has spent recent days travelling the globe to shore up support — meeting Caribbean Football Union members in the Dominican Republic and attending the E-Sports World Cup in Paris alongside French President Emmanuel Macron, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and Cristiano Ronaldo. The optics of those gatherings will not be lost on European football's leadership.
The Balogun red card row adds further pressure
The FFE controversy is not the only cloud over Infantino's tenure. Ceferin also addressed the episode involving United States forward Folarin Balogun, whose red card suspension was overturned ahead of the USA's last-16 defeat by Belgium at this summer's World Cup. US President Donald Trump subsequently revealed he had personally called Infantino to request the sanction be reconsidered — a claim that sits uneasily alongside FIFA's insistence that the decision was reached independently.
"That was more than shocking," Ceferin said. "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. For us as football fans, or for us as a governing body, that's shocking — and trust me, almost everybody was shocked. Just not everybody dared to speak."
Ceferin rules out standing for FIFA presidency
Amid speculation that Ceferin himself might seek to challenge Infantino at the FIFA Congress in March 2027, the Slovenian was unequivocal. He will not be a candidate. "I love UEFA and I love working here," he said. "And my credibility is much, much, much higher if I'm not interested in the position."
With the FFE plan dead and European unity strengthened, Infantino faces a markedly more hostile landscape as he campaigns for a fourth term. Ceferin, for now, is content to hold the moral high ground from UEFA's headquarters rather than cross the floor to Zurich.
Frequently asked
- What was FIFA's plan to sell a stake in the World Cup?
- FIFA, under president Gianni Infantino, proposed creating a new company called FIFA Forward Enterprise that would manage the commercial and ticketing rights to all FIFA competitions, with 21 per cent of it sold to a private investment firm. The plan was abandoned after UEFA and its members threatened to boycott future World Cups.
- Why have England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland withdrawn support for Infantino?
- The home nations' football associations withdrew support for Infantino following his attempt to part-privatise FIFA's commercial rights, a plan UEFA described as a threat to the integrity of the sport. Concerns about his relationship with political figures, including the Folarin Balogun red card row involving Donald Trump, have added to the pressure.
- Will Aleksander Ceferin stand for FIFA president in 2027?
- No. Ceferin has confirmed he will not seek the FIFA presidency at the March 2027 Congress, saying he values his role at UEFA and that his credibility is stronger precisely because he is not chasing the job.