UEFA, Čeferin: No to multi-club ownership, biennial World Cup or Super League | OneFootball

Aleksander Čeferin, president of UEFA, addressed the main hot topics of European and international football in an interview with Politico Europe, clarifying the federation's position on the Super League, Club World Cup, and multiple club ownership.

UEFA, Čeferin draws the line: stop multiple ownership, no to biennial World Cup and no Super League negotiations

In recent months, there had been talk of possible contacts between UEFA and the clubs still formally tied to the Super League project, particularly Real Madrid and Barcelona. However, Čeferin ruled out any negotiations: "If UEFA was in negotiations with the teams, I would know. It's not true that there are negotiations. We communicate with the Spanish clubs, sure, but we're not discussing a deal. Real Madrid and Barcelona are always welcome in the European football family."

The UEFA number one then reiterated that the system and format of the Champions League will not change, keeping the historic clubs included in the competition.

Club World Cup: yes to every four years, no to the biennial formula

The new FIFA Club World Cup, which will debut in the summer of 2025 with 32 teams, does not worry Čeferin, as long as it remains an event every four years: "Our clubs wanted it, mainly for financial reasons. Every four years is fine, but not every two. I don't think they want it."

The UEFA president confirmed that relations with FIFA have stabilized and that, despite differences on some details, cooperation works in most cases. A critical point remains, however, the overload of players: long and concurrent competitions, like the Africa Cup in January, risk creating physical and logistical stress.

Multiple ownership: hard line to protect credibility

One of the most delicate issues concerns multiple ownership, a practice in which two or more clubs are controlled by the same group of investors. Čeferin was categorical: "Allowing two clubs from the same owner to participate in the same competition compromises credibility. It won't happen."

To manage the situation, UEFA is considering temporary solutions, such as the introduction of a blind trust to limit the influence of owners. The goal is to safeguard the credibility of the competitions, preventing private interests from compromising the regular conduct of the tournaments.

A recent example concerns Crystal Palace, excluded from European competitions due to constraints related to multiple ownership. Čeferin stressed: "I'm sorry for the fans, but it's not UEFA's fault. The club still has the opportunity to play in Europe in the future."

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.