Čeferin again criticises Infantino and calls to restore trust

UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin said on 24 September 2026 that restoring unity and trust in world football is now a priority after the controversy over a proposed sale of FIFA commercial rights.

Speaking in a video address to an audience of football and business leaders in Lisbon, Čeferin did not name Gianni Infantino directly but stressed that "not everyone puts football above their own ambitions."

Opposition that halted the deal and next steps

Čeferin led UEFA's resistance in July, which helped block Infantino's plan to sell at least 20 percent of FIFA's future commercial rights for $4.2 billion to investors led by Josh Kushner, the brother of Jared Kushner and identified in the report as the son‑in‑law of US President Donald Trump. Although Infantino abandoned the proposal within days, Čeferin warned that the damage to trust remains.

"The project that broke the unity of world football may have been shelved, but the trust it broke has not been restored and it is now our job to rebuild it," Čeferin said in his message to the assembled delegates in Lisbon.

UEFA has said it will move to remove Infantino from his post and prepare criminal complaints in Switzerland alleging financial mismanagement. Čeferin reiterated that confidence in the sport must rest on three pillars — unity, transparency and governance that serve many rather than a few. "Trust in our sport relies on three pillars: unity, transparency and governance that serve many, not a few. Recently, all three principles were neglected by those who vowed to protect them," he said.

Čeferin has previously ruled out running for FIFA presidency. Infantino is pursuing a fourth and final term through 2031, a stretch that would amount to 15 years in charge if successful. The deadline to submit candidacies is 18 November, four months before the vote of FIFA's 211 members scheduled to take place in Morocco.

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