Ceferin says football must rebuild trust after failed FIFA investment plan

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has warned that football has yet to recover the trust damaged by a controversial FIFA investment project, insisting that “football is not for sale”.

Ceferin delivered the remarks in a recorded video address on Wednesday at the Portuguese Football Summit. They were his first public comments since FIFA president Gianni Infantino attempted to ease the crisis by proposing a review of the organisation’s decision-making process.

The UEFA president said the game’s credibility depended on principles that could not be compromised.

“Trust in our sport rests on three pillars: unity, transparency and governance that serves the majority, not the few,” Ceferin said.

“In recent times, these three pillars have been ignored by people who swore to protect them.”

He added: “But not everyone puts the interests of the game above their personal ambitions.”

Although Ceferin did not name Infantino or FIFA, his comments were clearly aimed at the proposal that had caused deep divisions across world football.

The plan involved selling a 20% stake in FIFA’s commercial rights, including those connected to the World Cup, to private investors. It was abandoned and cancelled in July last year after strong opposition from UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation and Concacaf.

“The project that tore apart the unity of world football may have been cancelled, but the trust it undermined has not yet returned,” Ceferin said. “Rebuilding it is our task now.”

He concluded with a message UEFA has repeatedly used in its opposition to the plan: “Football is not for sale. This is a message UEFA has promoted for years, and I am confident that this summit will help spread it more widely.”

Infantino proposes governance review

Ceferin’s address came only two days after Infantino wrote to the FIFA Council and the presidents of all 211 member associations in an attempt to contain the backlash.

Infantino said he would ask the council to appoint an independent body to conduct a comprehensive review of FIFA’s governance framework for major strategic initiatives.

He also proposed wider consultations with continental and national associations, as well as other stakeholders, on ways to strengthen the organisation’s decision-making procedures.

The possible review could examine the respective roles of the president, the executive office and the council. It could also consider measures to improve transparency and accountability, as FIFA seeks to repair its image.

So far, however, Infantino’s letter has failed to calm the concerns of several leading associations, which have strongly criticised the way the proposed investment project was handled.

The FIFA president has reaffirmed his intention to remain in charge of the governing body and is expected to seek another term at the presidential election scheduled for March 2027.

Ceferin ended his message by saying football would remain secure as long as those running it remembered whom they served.

“Football will always be safe as long as those who run it always remember whom they are running it for,” he said.