Ceferin hits back: “Football is not for sale”

Aleksander Ceferin has raised his voice again. The UEFA president said on Wednesday that “football is not for sale” and pointed the finger at those who have turned their backs on the values that sustain fans' trust: unity, transparency and governance that serves the majority. His message, delivered by video at the opening of the Portugal Football Summit in Oeiras, comes at a time when the debate over commercial control of the game is back in the spotlight.

• Ceferin claims that those who swore to protect football have ignored its basic principles in recent years.
• The UEFA president believes the broken trust has not been repaired and that restoring it is now the key task.
• The remarks were made at the opening of the Portugal Football Summit, which runs until Friday in Oeiras.
• The speech named no one, but reflects his critical stance toward Gianni Infantino and the partial commercialisation of competitions.
• Ceferin highlighted the Portuguese Football Federation's working model as a benchmark for world football.

Ceferin's strong message against the Super League and the commercialisation of football

The Slovenian official was emphatic when recalling that a project shattered the unity of world football. Although he did not name it explicitly, the reference to the European Super League is unmistakable. Ceferin stressed that even though that initiative was abolished, the damage done to the credibility of the sport has not healed. “The trust it broke has not been recovered, and repairing it is our task now,” he said.

It was in that context that he delivered the sentence that sums up his position: “Football is not for sale.” For Ceferin, the game will only remain safe if those who govern it remember for whom they govern, a direct warning to those who put financial interests ahead of the common good of the sport.

Portugal Football Summit, the forum chosen to deliver the message

The Portugal Football Summit brings together national and international experts from the sector from Wednesday to Friday in Oeiras, near Lisbon. Ceferin used his opening address to argue that this kind of event helps reinforce the idea of a responsibly governed game.

He explained that every reform discussed at the forum, every mistake admitted and every successful project will help improve the work of the next generation of leaders. The UEFA president sees the Portuguese summit as an opportunity to share lessons and strengthen the governance of the sport.

The swipe at Gianni Infantino and the partial sale of competitions

Ceferin did not mention names during his message, but the content of his speech is consistent with the position he has held toward FIFA president Gianni Infantino. The Italian-Swiss official recently announced a proposal to sell the commercialisation of 20 percent of competitions, an idea that clashes directly with the philosophy defended by UEFA's top executive.

The phrase “football is not for sale” thus carries a double meaning: on one hand, it rejects attempts to create closed competitions outside the traditional structures; on the other, it serves as a warning against the growing commercial pressure surrounding major tournaments. Ceferin has made the defence of the European sports model one of the pillars of his presidency.

Praise for the Portuguese football management model

The UEFA president also had words of recognition for the Portuguese Football Federation. He highlighted its role and claimed that the global football landscape has a lot to learn from its working system. Portugal has established itself as a benchmark in talent development and competition organisation, an example Ceferin put on the table for summit attendees.

What is at stake in European football governance

Ceferin's message arrives at a delicate moment for the balance of power in European football. The Court of Justice of the European Union's ruling on the Super League, tensions between UEFA and FIFA over the calendar, and new competition formats have created a climate of uncertainty. In that context, the UEFA president has decided to make his mark and firmly defend the current model based on solidarity between big and small clubs.

His appearance at the Portugal Football Summit is not an isolated event. It is part of a communication strategy aimed at reinforcing UEFA's legitimacy as the guarantor of unity in European football and at blocking any attempt to break away that could once again threaten the stability of the game.