Also known as: UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin · UEFA Pez
UEFA president who led opposition to FIFA's World Cup privatization plan and boycott threat, and skipped the 2026 World Cup final in protest.
Verbatim sentences from the source article.
Joy Online
UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin did not attend the World Cup final between Argentina and Spain in protest against FIFA. …
Uefa president boycotts World Cup final in protest against FifaJoy Online
… Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin is among those to have dismissed the 64-team proposal, with the Slovenian saying it is a “bad idea” for both the tournament itself and the qualifying process. …
Infantino opens door to 64-team World CupJoy Online
UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has been criticised by 13 World Cup nations who said he had claimed an expanded tournament led to many matches being “uninteresting”. …
World Cup teams reject Ceferin ‘uninteresting’ claimJoy Online
… gned between UEFA and CAF to encourage cooperation in many areas, including refereeing. “UEFA and CAF are united by a shared commitment to developing football at all levels and promoting the core values of unity, equality and non-discrimination.” UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin …
Barred World Cup referee Omar Artan to officiate UEFA Super Cup finalThe Ghanaian Times
… UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin revealed last year that reform was planned to revive interest from fans and broadcasters because many traditional men’s qualifying groups had become predictable. …
UEFA to revamp 2030 World Cup, Euro 2032 qualifying group formatsJoy Online
… UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said: “The new formats will improve competitive balance, reduce the number of dead matches, offer a more appealing and dynamic competition to fans, while ensuring a fair qualification chance for all teams and without adding any additional dates i …
Major-minor nations split in World Cup qualifyingUefa is set to drop its threat of boycotting Fifa competitions after receiving assurances that Gianni Infantino's plan to sell World Cup stakes to private investors will not be repeated. The decision will be discussed at Uefa's executive committee meeting in Monaco on Thursday.
26 August 2026 · Joy Online →
Uefa is set to drop its threat of boycotting Fifa competitions after receiving assurances that Gianni Infantino's plan to sell World Cup stakes to private investors will not be repeated. The decision will be discussed at Uefa's executive committee meeting in Monaco on Thursday.
26 August 2026 · Joy Online →
UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has ruled out standing for FIFA president in March 2027, though he expects another candidate to challenge Gianni Infantino following widespread opposition to the latter's now-scrapped plan to sell stakes in FIFA competitions to private investors.
25 August 2026 · The Ghanaian Times →
UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has called Gianni Infantino's abandoned proposal to sell a 21% stake in FIFA competitions' commercial and ticketing rights to a private company "worse than the Super League", saying football would be "literally sold". UEFA led opposition to the plan, with its members voting to boycott World Cups unless it was scrapped.
23 August 2026 · Joy Online →
UEFA has reiterated its loss of confidence in FIFA President Gianni Infantino and maintained its threat to boycott FIFA competitions, saying that FIFA's public backing of Infantino and the withdrawal of his FIFA Forward Enterprise scheme do not meet the conditions necessary to avert the boycott. UEFA stated it requires both the withdrawal of proposals to sell off major competitions and assurances that such attempts will not be made again.
7 August 2026 · Daily Guide →
Europe's 55 football associations have voted to boycott World Cups if FIFA proceeds with selling stakes in its competitions to private investors. UEFA states the World Cup "is not for sale" and cannot be treated as an investment product.
31 July 2026 · Daily Guide →
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has written to 211 member associations offering $40m if they back his plan to sell stakes in major competitions, including the World Cup, with a 19 September deadline for access to an initial $20m. UEFA accused FIFA of using football to enrich themselves and their friends.
30 July 2026 · Joy Online →
FIFA announced plans to sell off stakes in its football competitions, including the World Cup, to private investors associated with US President Donald Trump, which Infantino characterizes as democratisation of football but which has met criticism from fans, politicians and regional governing bodies. The plan would distribute $40m in funding to FIFA member associations, with a deadline of 19 September for federations to accept in order to access an initial $20m.
29 July 2026 · Joy Online →
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has written to all 211 member associations offering $40m in exchange for backing his plan to sell stakes in major competitions like the World Cup through a new commercial subsidiary. The plan, which could raise $10bn and has drawn quick condemnation from multiple regions, sets a 19 September deadline for nations to accept and receive an initial $20m.
29 July 2026 · Joy Online →
FIFA's proposal to create a commercial subsidiary to run major competitions including the World Cup and sell stakes to external investors has prompted UEFA's 55 member associations to call an emergency meeting to discuss a potential plan of action, including the possibility of a boycott.
29 July 2026 · Joy Online →
UEFA head Aleksander Ceferin skipped the World Cup final to protest FIFA's decisions, including suspending a red card for a US striker after President Trump's intervention and its handling of referee and team treatment issues during the tournament.
22 July 2026 · The Ghanaian Times →
La Liga president Javier Tebas has called for FIFA president Gianni Infantino to resign, claiming FIFA is "destroying the football industry" and criticising decisions including World Cup hydration breaks and the final's half-time interval. Tebas acknowledged that Infantino has support from national federations and is expected to be re-elected at FIFA's March congress.
22 July 2026 · Joy Online →
UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin did not attend the World Cup final between Argentina and Spain in protest against FIFA decisions, citing issues including US President Donald Trump's intervention in a suspension case and other changes driven by FIFA president Gianni Infantino such as extended half-time shows and a proposed 64-team World Cup format.
21 July 2026 · Joy Online →
FIFA boss Gianni Infantino said plans to expand the World Cup to 64 teams will be examined after the 2026 tournament, citing the success of the expanded 48-team format. Infantino stated that expanding the tournament ensures it is "for the whole world" and gives smaller nations incentive to improve.
12 July 2026 · Joy Online →
UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin faced criticism from 13 World Cup nations—including Ghana, Senegal, Ivory Coast, and South Africa—after reportedly stating that expanding the tournament from 32 to 48 teams has led to many "uninteresting" matches. The football associations rejected his comments, saying that for their countries, World Cup participation represents a historic achievement and there is no such thing as an unimportant match.
15 June 2026 · Joy Online →
Somali referee Omar Artan, who was refused entry to the US and barred from World Cup duty by American authorities, has been selected by UEFA to officiate the August 12 UEFA Super Cup between Paris Saint-Germain and Aston Villa in Salzburg, Austria.
12 June 2026 · The Ghanaian Times →
Omar Artan, a Somali referee barred from entering the United States for World Cup duty due to visa and vetting concerns, has been appointed by UEFA to officiate the UEFA Super Cup final between Paris Saint-Germain and Aston Villa on August 12 in Salzburg, Austria.
11 June 2026 · Joy Online →
UEFA has proposed a revamp of qualifying for the 2030 World Cup and 2032 European Championship using a Champions League-style format with 36 top-ranked teams in three groups of 12, designed to reduce mismatches between strongest and weakest teams. A decision on the proposal is expected in September.
22 May 2026 · The Ghanaian Times →
UEFA will split World Cup qualifying into two tiers starting with the 2030 tournament: the top 36 nations, ranked by the 2028 Nations League, will compete in League 1 with three 12-team groups, while the remaining 18 nations will play separately in League 2. The new format aims to eliminate uncompetitive matchups and give lower-ranked teams better qualification chances, with all teams now playing six qualifying matches instead of the varying six or eight under previous rules.
20 May 2026 · Joy Online →