Ceferin escalates row with Infantino over World Cup commercial rights sale

Aleksander Ceferin hardened his stance against Gianni Infantino on Tuesday at the European Club Association (ECA) general assembly, a day after FIFA responded to American courts accusing UEFA of “numerous false or misleading statements”.

Addressing the gathered club leaders, the UEFA President spoke bluntly. “It is time to say: ‘Enough is enough’,” he declared, before returning to Infantino’s plan to cede commercial stakes in the World Cup to private investors through a subsidiary called FIFA Forward Enterprise — an initiative revealed without the knowledge of several stakeholders. Ceferin also targeted the global broadcast of a “Peace Prize” awarded to Donald Trump by the FIFA chief, without prior consultation. “Imagine people discussing behind your back to sell your heritage. Imagine awarding a Peace Prize without talking to you first.”

The Slovenian executive then broadened his remarks to the governance of world football. “Football is bigger than those who govern it. No one has the right to sell its future. Football is not for sale. Not today, not tomorrow.”

This latest episode is part of a power struggle now playing out as much in American courts as in institutional forums. The day before, FIFA had formally contested UEFA’s filing before American justice, describing it as a document riddled with inaccuracies.

Despite mounting pressure from his European counterpart, Gianni Infantino remains at this stage the sole declared candidate for his own succession as FIFA President. The election is scheduled for March 2027.