UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin says 'trust in football is still broken' following FIFA controversy

UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin said trust in football is still broken following FIFA's scrapped controversial plan to sell stakes in its competitions. Ceferin was speaking for the first time since FIFA boss Gianni Infantino suggested an independent review of the governing body's decision-making.

While at the Portugal Football Summit, the UEFA President did not mention Infantino's name or FIFA, but made clear that a "project" had "shattered the unity of world football". He said: "Not everyone places the game above their own ambitions.

Stories Videos Your Say "Trust in our sport rests on three pillars: unity, transparency, and governance that serves the many, not the few. "In recent times, all three were disregarded by people who had sworn to protect them.

"The project that shattered the unity of world football may be abolished, but the trust it broke has not returned, and repairing it is our work now. " FIFA's failed Forward Enterprise (FFE) plan, which was introduced nearly two months ago, sparked major backlash from the footballing world.

UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin (LEFT) said 'the project that shattered the unity of world football may be abolished, but the trust it broke has not returned' LATEST SPORTS NEWS BBC to axe sports bulletins as staff consider strike action after corporation's cost-cutting drive Football club sacks manager after telling female referee 'this is a man's game' Red Bull confirm second driver to join Max Verstappen for 2027 season Last week, UEFA and Concacaf demanded FIFA fork out £1.5billion to its 211 member nations over the next three years from the organisation's reserves. Ceferin and his Concacaf counterpart, Victor Montagliani, jointly wrote to Infantino to make the request.

The two confederation leaders described this figure as a "conservative" assessment of what world football's governing body could comfortably afford, based on their own analysis. FIFA's reserves are projected to hit $6billion (£4.5billion) by the close of 2026.

Ceferin appeared to deliberatly not mention Infantino's name or FIFA According to Ceferin and Montagliani, even if FIFA distributed $10million (£7.5million) to each member nation, the organisation's reserves would not fall below $1.5billion (£1.1billion) at any point during the 2027-30 financial cycle. They urged once a fuller picture of FIFA's year-end finances becomes available, the FIFA Council should assess whether a more generous payout is feasible and whether a similar distribution might follow in the 2031-34 period.

The two presidents insisted any such payments must come on top of existing commitments under the FIFA Forward development programme, rather than replacing them. FIFA's failed plan was introduced in late July They proposed their confederations work together to finalise the analysis and bring formal recommendations on how funds should be disbursed to the next FIFA Council meeting through proper governance channels.

Part of the pair's letter read: "Releasing part of these reserves would demonstrate that member associations should not have to choose between development and good governance; between investment and integrity; or between financial support and the ability to consider proposals on their merits. "Development is an institutional responsibility of FIFA not a matter of individual discretion.