Ceferin blasts Infantino: 'The emperor is naked' and says it is time to say 'enough' to FIFA

Aleksander Ceferin, the president of UEFA, delivered a blistering attack on FIFA's leadership and, in particular, on the figure of Gianni Infantino this Thursday. Speaking at the general assembly of the European Club Association (ECA) in Copenhagen, the Slovenian executive used a classic fable to describe the state of the game's global governing body: 'The emperor is naked'. Ceferin pointed directly at the recent scandals that have shaken FIFA, such as the failed Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) project and the controversial Folarin Balogun affair, and called for a change of leadership with a resounding 'enough'.

• Ceferin attacked Infantino's management without ever mentioning him by name during his speech.
• The UEFA president used Hans Christian Andersen's 'The Emperor's New Clothes' to question FIFA's direction.
• Ceferin recalled the controversial peace prize awarded to Donald Trump and the Folarin Balogun affair from last summer.
• ECA chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi ruled out running for the FIFA presidency and proposed creating a worldwide clubs body.

What did Ceferin say about the FFE project and FIFA's recent scandals?

Ceferin's address to several hundred club representatives was a frontal criticism of the decisions made by FIFA under Infantino's leadership. The head of UEFA made explicit reference to the failed Fifa Forward Enterprise, a project that had generated great expectations and ultimately became a fiasco. For Ceferin, the FFE's collapse has not been an isolated case, but rather a symptom of a way of governing that he considers incompatible with the values of sport.

Other episodes that have tarnished FIFA's image in recent times also surfaced during his speech. Ceferin recalled the peace prize awarded by Infantino to Donald Trump, a decision taken without consulting the organisation's council, and the Folarin Balogun case, which caused enormous controversy last summer. In the Slovenian executive's view, all these events share a common pattern of lack of transparency and unilateral decisions.

An emperor is persuaded that he is wearing magnificent clothes – clothes which, he is told, only the foolish or unfit cannot see. His court goes along with it. Until a child simply says aloud what everyone can see: the emperor is naked. Perhaps the moral of the story is this: convenient words cannot change uncomfortable realities.

Why Ceferin compared FIFA's leadership to 'The Emperor's New Clothes'

The choice of Copenhagen as the venue for the assembly was not coincidental. Ceferin took advantage of the fact that the Danish capital is the birthplace of Hans Christian Andersen to draw a parallel between the famous children's tale and the situation at FIFA. In his opinion, the organisation led by Infantino has built a convenient reality sustained by promises and narratives, but one that collapses when someone dares to call things by their real name.

The UEFA president urged clubs to imagine what would happen if a senior executive at their organisations secretly negotiated away control of their most valuable assets, without informing the board, the players or the fans. The answer, he argued, would be unanimous: demand their immediate dismissal. That same reaction, he claimed, must now take place in the world of football.

Ceferin demands a change of direction at FIFA

Ceferin did not limit himself to describing the problems that, in his view, afflict FIFA. The Slovenian executive went a step further and openly called for a renewal at the top of the world governing body. Although he avoided naming Infantino, his message left no room for doubt: UEFA believes that FIFA's current leadership cannot continue at the helm of the institution.

How many times would this have to happen at your club before the board says: 'enough'? I think it is time to say 'enough'. No office, no title and no amount of power gives anyone the right to sell the future of football.

The escalating war of words between UEFA and FIFA

The confrontation between football's two major governing bodies is not new, but this week it has reached a new peak of tension. On Tuesday, FIFA accused UEFA of waging a 'misinformation campaign' and of trying to influence the race for the presidency of the international organisation. FIFA asked a US court to reject UEFA's request to receive documents that it would allegedly use in a planned criminal complaint against Infantino.

Within UEFA, the conviction that it is necessary to present an alternative candidate to Infantino before 18 November remains firm. That is the deadline for submitting nominations ahead of the FIFA presidential election in March. However, one of the names that had been floated in the past as a possible challenger, Nasser Al-Khelaifi, was definitively ruled out during the Copenhagen assembly.

Nasser Al-Khelaifi rules himself out and proposes a worldwide clubs association

The chairman of the European Club Association, Nasser Al-Khelaifi, put an end to any speculation about a potential candidacy for the FIFA presidency. The Qatari executive was blunt in stating that he has no interest in holding that position and that he does not consider himself the right person for the role. 'FIFA, not for me,' he told those attending the assembly.

Al-Khelaifi, who also chairs Paris Saint-Germain, focused his speech on a proposal he considers a priority: the creation of a worldwide clubs organisation that represents teams from all continents, not just Europe. In his view, the time has come for clubs from outside the Old Continent to have their own voice in international forums and for the ECA to expand its reach beyond its current borders.

What is at stake in the FIFA presidential election

The FIFA presidential election will take place in March and the deadline for submitting candidacies is 18 November. UEFA has been pushing for months for a candidate with real chances of challenging Gianni Infantino, who is seeking a new term, to emerge. The lack of solid alternatives has so far frustrated the aspirations of those demanding a change at the top of world football.

The clash between Ceferin and Infantino has become a political struggle of the highest order in the beautiful game. The UEFA president's criticism of FIFA's management is becoming increasingly explicit and comes at a time when both organisations hold opposing positions on key issues such as the international match calendar, plans for new competitions and the balance of power in football governance.