UEFA President Harshly Criticizes the New Club World Cup

Last May, Gianni Infantino, FIFA president, presented the proposal for the new Club World Cup.

The FIFA Club World Cup 2025 would be the first edition of the tournament to include 24 teams from the six continental confederations.

The tournament was originally planned to take place during the summer of 2021. But it had to be postponed due to the pandemic. This year, therefore, the last Club World Cup will be played in the traditional 7-team format and will be held in December in Japan.

The new Club World Cup is generating a lot of expectations, and FIFA expects the new tournament to generate some 21 billion euros in revenue.

But for UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin, this new tournament is an initiative that does not contemplate the sporting aspect and is focusing only on the commercial part.

Ceferin expressed his dissatisfaction at a press conference and said: “Money does not rule, and the European sporting model must be respected. Soccer is not for sale. I will not let anyone sacrifice their structures on the altar of a very cynical and ruthless commercialism.

As long as I am president of UEFA, there will be no room for pursuing selfish endeavors or hiding behind false pretensions. I cannot accept that some people blinded by the pursuit of profit are considering selling the soul of soccer tournaments to nebulous private funds¨.

FIFA and UEFA are discussing the matter, and Ceferin’s position is substantial and supported by some of the European leagues.