UEFA president on Infantino: Football doesn't need emperors
UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin criticized FIFA president Gianni Infantino, describing him as an emperor, in the context of a dispute over football management and the creation of a commercial company.
Translated by Qiyas from النهار — Original source
UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin, a Slovenian, stated that “football does not need emperors,” criticizing the way Swiss-Italian FIFA President Gianni Infantino manages the game. Infantino has faced sharp criticism since the disclosure in July of a shelved project to create a commercial company open to private-sector investors, particularly from UEFA and Čeferin, who said yesterday: “Yes, let us grow, let us innovate, let us make our clubs and competitions more successful, but let us never forget that football is bigger than those who run it.” Speaking in Copenhagen before the General Assembly of the European Club Association, he added: “We are stewards of the game, not its owners. No one has the right to sell its future.” Infantino, who succeeded his compatriot Sepp Blatter as FIFA president in 2016 following a corruption scandal, has come under intense pressure since the announcement of proposals to establish a commercial subsidiary to manage the federation’s flagship tournaments, such as the World Cup and the Club World Cup.
