AMSTERDAM (AP) – Asserting the power of European soccer, UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin warned that FIFA’s attempts to radically change several club competitions would be a “death sentence” for football.
With FIFA President Gianni Infantino in the audience, Ceferin told the UEFA congress on Tuesday he was not “ashamed” European soccer was so successful.
FIFA has tried to gain a greater foothold in the club game, with Infantino trying to raise finances to attract the biggest names to an enlarged 24-team Club World Cup, which could threaten UEFA’s popular Champions League competition. Plans for a global clubs' league from Real Madrid President Florentino Pérez also emerged after he met with Infantino in December.