UEFA president speaks for the primary time since FIFA mentioned it could evaluation its decision-making, says belief nonetheless damaged.
Printed On 23 Sep 2026
UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin says belief in world soccer has not been restored following the collapse of FIFA’s controversial non-public funding plan.
The remarks, made in a video tackle to the Portugal Soccer Summit on Wednesday, have been Ceferin’s first public feedback since FIFA president Gianni Infantino offered a review of the governing physique’s decision-making.
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Ceferin mentioned unity, transparency and governance that served the broader recreation have been important to sustaining belief in soccer. “But not everybody locations the sport above their very own ambitions.”
“Belief in our sport rests on three pillars: unity, transparency, and governance that serves the numerous, not the few. In latest occasions, all three have been disregarded by individuals who had sworn to guard them.
“The undertaking that shattered the unity of world soccer could also be abolished, however the belief it broke has not returned, and repairing it’s our work now.”
Ceferin didn’t title Infantino or FIFA, however his feedback have been an obvious reference to the abandoned proposal to promote a 20 % stake in FIFA’s business rights, together with the World Cup, to non-public traders. The plan was dropped in July after fierce opposition from UEFA, the Asian Soccer Confederation and the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Affiliation Soccer (CONCACAF).
“Soccer isn’t on the market,” Ceferin mentioned. “That’s the message UEFA has carried for years, and I’m sure this summit will carry it additional.”
His intervention got here two days after Infantino sought to handle the fallout in a letter to the FIFA Council and the presidents of all 211 member associations.
He mentioned he would ask the council whether or not it wished to fee an unbiased exterior evaluation of FIFA’s governance framework for main strategic initiatives and proposed consultations with confederations, member associations and different stakeholders on strengthening its decision-making processes.
He mentioned any evaluation might look at the roles of the president, bureau, council and congress and methods to enhance transparency and accountability.
The letter has to this point failed to win over several federations that had criticised Infantino over the funding proposal.
Infantino has mentioned he stays totally dedicated to main FIFA and is predicted to hunt one other time period on the presidential election in March 2027.
Ceferin mentioned these working the game wanted to recollect whom they served.
“The sport will stay protected if those that govern it bear in mind whom they govern it for,” he mentioned.
