UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin sharply criticized FIFA leadership Tuesday, declaring that “football has no need for emperors” as European football's governing body escalates its opposition to Gianni Infantino, while Paris Saint-Germain President Nasser al-Khelaifi ruled himself out as a potential challenger in next year's FIFA presidential election.
Speaking at the European Football Clubs' (EFC) general assembly in Copenhagen, Ceferin warned football's leaders against treating the sport as their personal property and said commercial ambitions must not dictate its future.
“Yes, let's grow, let's innovate, let's make our clubs and competitions even more successful, but let's never forget that football is bigger than those who govern it,” Ceferin said. “We are custodians, we are not owners. Nobody has the right to sell its future.”
Ceferin's remarks came amid an increasingly bitter dispute between UEFA and FIFA over Infantino's plans for a new commercial subsidiary, FIFA Forward Enterprise, which would have been tasked with managing major competitions including the World Cup and Club World Cup.
The proposal, revealed in July, prompted UEFA to consider boycotting FIFA competitions before it suspended the threat after receiving written assurances that FIFA would not revive plans to sell stakes in the subsidiary to private investors.
UEFA has since taken its challenge further, seeking documents through a U.S. court in Florida connected to the abandoned proposal. The European body is seeking evidence that could potentially support a criminal complaint in Switzerland, where both FIFA and UEFA are headquartered.
FIFA has accused UEFA of conducting a “misinformation campaign” and attempting to influence next year's presidential election.
Ceferin did not mention Infantino by name during his address, but his target was clear as he invoked Hans Christian Andersen's “The Emperor's New Clothes,” comparing football's current leadership to the fairy tale's ruler who believes he is wearing magnificent clothes that, in reality, do not exist.
“We all know the story,” Ceferin said. “An emperor is persuaded that he is wearing magnificent clothes, clothes which he thought only the foolish or unfit could not see.”
He said the story's lesson was that “convenient words cannot change uncomfortable realities.”
“My friends, I think it is time to say ‘enough,’” Ceferin added.
Infantino was not present at the meeting, although FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafstrom attended.
Ceferin also defended Europe's influence in the global game, arguing that financial growth should not come at the expense of football's wider interests.
“Money can help the game grow, but it should never decide what we let go, never,” he said. “Europe should make no apology for saying so.”
While Ceferin stepped up his criticism of Infantino, Khelaifi sought to end speculation that he could emerge as a rival candidate for the FIFA presidency.
The 52-year-old Qatari, who has led PSG since 2011 and has chaired the EFC since 2021, has been discussed as a possible alternative to Infantino. His position within European club football and links to Qatar could potentially give him connections across different FIFA confederations.
But Khelaifi said he has no desire to take on the world's top football administration role.
“I have zero interest in FIFA, zero ambition to be there,” he told reporters in Copenhagen.
“I don't think I am the right guy and I don't want to go actually. I'm enjoying what I'm doing and having fun. We want to continue building positive things together. FIFA is not for me.”
Khelaifi had earlier used his address to criticize the amount of time being consumed by the dispute at the top of world football.
“Football works when we listen to each other, when we are transparent,” he said. “Football is bigger and more important than any one of us.”
He also called on Ceferin to seek another term as UEFA president, telling the Slovenian that European football needs “strong leadership like you to protect our sport.”
Ceferin has led UEFA since 2016 and previously indicated that he would leave the position when his current term expires in 2027. He has since signaled that he could seek another term, with UEFA's 55 member associations scheduled to vote in April in Astana, Kazakhstan.
The confrontation comes as the race for FIFA's presidency moves toward its formal nomination deadline of Nov. 18.
Infantino, who was first elected in 2016 following the corruption crisis that engulfed FIFA, is seeking another term at the March 18 Congress in Rabat, Morocco.
Several European national associations have withdrawn their support for his candidacy, while UEFA has emerged as the most prominent institutional opponent of his leadership.
Ceferin has ruled himself out of challenging Infantino directly, leaving European football without an obvious alternative candidate.
Khelaifi's decision to dismiss the possibility of a FIFA campaign removes another name that had been circulating as the election approaches.
For now, the battle remains centered on a broader question over who controls football's future, how its growing commercial revenues should be managed and how much power should sit with FIFA's leadership.
