Plan branded worse than the Super League

Aleksander Ceferin has delivered his strongest attack yet on Gianni Infantino, describing the abandoned FIFA Forward Enterprise project as even more dangerous than the failed European Super League.

The proposal would have placed a minority stake in a new company controlling commercial interests connected to FIFA competitions, including the World Cup, in private hands. It was withdrawn on August 1 after opposition from UEFA, Concacaf, the Asian Football Confederation and other national associations.

“I’m absolutely sure that the [FFE] plan is dead,” Ceferin said in an interview quoted by The Guardian. The UEFA president argued that the Super League involved clubs attempting to form a breakaway competition, while Infantino’s project risked football being “literally sold”.

According to AP, the scheme sought up to $4.2 billion from a minority stake. The money would fund payments of around $20 million to each of FIFA’s 211 associations, while the new structure held commercial power over major competitions until 2038.

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UEFA has not dropped the pressure

All 55 UEFA associations rejected the proposal and threatened to withdraw their national teams from FIFA competitions while it remained alive. FIFA eventually abandoned the project, but Europe has continued to demand binding guarantees that private ownership will not return in another form.

In its official response, UEFA accused FIFA’s leadership of developing the scheme without proper consultation. It also called for those responsible to be identified and for a fundamental review of how the proposal came so close to approval.

Ceferin revealed that he and Infantino have not spoken since the dispute began. He believes the FIFA president now has two choices: recognise that he has lost the wider football community’s support or stand in the March 2027 election and face a challenger.

Ceferin rules himself out of FIFA race

Despite leading the resistance, Ceferin said he would not run for the FIFA presidency. He argued that his credibility as an opponent of the project is greater if he is not trying to secure Infantino’s position for himself.

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Concacaf president Victor Montagliani has been mentioned as a possible challenger. According to L’Équipe, Ceferin does not yet know who the opposition candidate will be, but is convinced there will be one if Infantino continues.

Infantino has led FIFA since 2016 and has so far remained publicly determined to survive the crisis. The deadline for challengers to enter the election is November 18, leaving less than three months for his opponents to agree on a credible alternative.

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