The president of UEFA, Aleksander Ceferin, has granted an interview to Le Journal Du Dimanche in which he has reviewed various current events. The head of the European body has been firmly opposed to a World Cup every two yearsin addition to congratulating Nasser Al Khelaïfi, president of PSG, for having opposed the Super League.
In the first place, Ceferin acknowledged that they are thinking about a Final Four in the Champions League like the one in Lisbon in 2020: “We have not yet discussed it in a concrete way due to the pandemic, which has forced us to deal with the day to day, but my opinion is that it would be great. I have discussed the issue with some presidents, including Nasser Al-Khelaïfi, and they agree. Football is bigger than the NHL, but the Super Bowl it is an important event. The equation is simple to solve, it is about compensating for the loss of income from home games in the semi-finals. It’s possible”.
With respect to World Cup every two yearsthe leader opposed the idea: “I’m sure it won’t happen because it’s complete nonsense. It is a populist project that would destroy football. It goes against all the principles of our sport, of the Olympic Games… It’s not only bad for Europe. It’s amazing that a football organization can propose that players, who already have too much weight to carry, play a month-long tournament every summer. Can you imagine how this would cannibalize women’s football?
He also had words for Infantino, whose intervention he has criticized to defend the World Cup every two years, comparing him to African immigrants: “We must give Africans hope that they will not have to cross the Mediterranean to perhaps have a better life here. We have to give them opportunities and dignity. This statement deserves no comment. Football should not be used for populism.”
About Nasser Al Khelaifithe Swiss thanked him for having rejected the Super League project from the beginning: “Is Nasser Al-Khelaifi a defender of democracy in football? What is true is that, of the three great defenders of the current system , one was not European but he understood European football much better than the others. It is always said that owners from other continents come to Europe for the money. But the three presidents who insisted on the Super League, where do they come from? I have been impressed by “Kalle” Rummenigge (Bayern) “Aki” Watzke and Nasser Al-Khelaïfi. It probably wasn’t easy for them to say no. They could have hidden and waited and see what happens. No, they made it clear they didn’t want it. That says a lot. Nasser Al-Khelaïfi came to the Montreux congress, which also meant a lot symbolically.”
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