UEFA chief warns FIFA that football cannot be sold to private investors

At the opening of the Portugal Football Summit, UEFA chief Aleksander Čeferin delivered a video address warning that football’s reputation has not recovered from a recent proposal to privatise part of FIFA’s commercial rights. The scheme, which would have sold 20% of those rights - including those linked to the World Cup - to private investors, was abandoned in July following resistance from UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation and CONCACAF. Čeferin stressed that the sport’s trust rests on three pillars: unity, transparency and governance that benefits the majority.

He noted that while the project is dead, the loss of confidence persists and must be rebuilt. The remarks came days after FIFA president Gianni Infantino called for an external, independent assessment of FIFA’s governance mechanisms. Čeferin concluded by reminding officials that they must remember who they serve to keep the game safe.