Aleksander Čeferin at THE FORUM: “We Have the Same Goal — We Want Football to Flourish, to Become Better”

TL;DR

Aleksander Čeferin emphasized the need for unity in European football at THE FORUM, stating that all stakeholders must collaborate for the sport's future. He also addressed issues like calendar saturation and the perception of refereeing.

Key points

Aleksander Čeferin spoke at THE FORUM about European football's future.
He stressed the need for unity among clubs, leagues, and unions.
Čeferin warned about calendar saturation in football.
He addressed the perception of refereeing in professional football.
The UEFA Foundation is involved in social projects worldwide.

Mentioned in this story

Aleksander ČeferinUEFAAtlético de MadridApollo Sports CapitalJordan

Zaatari refugee camp

Atlético de Madrid **Aleksander Čeferin**, during his appearance at THE FORUM, the event promoted by Atlético de Madrid and Apollo Sports Capital, warned about the importance of unity and institutional responsibility regarding the future of European football. During the event held at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano, the president of UEFA asserted that all stakeholders, from clubs to leagues and unions like FIFPRO, must work as partners: “We are all associates, we are all partners. We live in the same ecosystem.” In this regard, he highlighted the positive attitude of leaders like **Miguel Ángel Gil** and **Nasser Al-Khelaïfi** in achieving common goals that will allow football to continue flourishing: “We have the same goal; we want football to flourish, to become better.” On calendar saturation, Čeferin was emphatic in stating that the system has reached its capacity limit: “What I can say now is that we’re at the top. We can’t play any harder.” The leader pointed out that, although there are “selfish perspectives on the situation,” the solution will only come if the entire ecosystem unites: “I believe a decision is possible if the entire ecosystem comes together and we try to reach a solution.” He also referred to the perception surrounding refereeing in professional football: “The club presidents don’t call me, but they do call other colleagues at UEFA. Nobody ever calls me to say that a penalty awarded to them wasn’t fair; it’s always the ones against them.” He added that UEFA is trying to “explain that the referee is the one who decides on the field and that the decisions must be very clear and quick.” The UEFA president also highlighted the impact of social projects linked to football, emphasizing the work of the UEFA Foundation: “This is one of my greatest passions here, because we are truly doing some very good things.” He shared his visit to one of these projects: “I was in the Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan, for example, where there are 80,000 refugees. And it’s striking to see the children who lost their parents in Syria, who have such a hard life. When they’re in the camp, they start to smile. They start to play, not just football; we also built basketball courts and funded judo.” Finally, Čeferin emphasized the global dimension of these initiatives and their future projection: “Looking ahead, we have around 100 projects each year: 50% in Europe and 50% outside of Europe.” THE FORUM is powered by Atlético de Madrid, Riyadh Air, and Apollo Sports Capital. More information at .

Q&A

What did Aleksander Čeferin say about the future of European football?

Čeferin highlighted the importance of unity among all stakeholders to ensure the future flourishing of European football.

How does Aleksander Čeferin view the current state of football scheduling?

He stated that the football calendar has reached its capacity limit and emphasized the need for a collective solution from the entire ecosystem.

What social initiatives related to football did Čeferin mention?

He discussed the UEFA Foundation's projects, including efforts in refugee camps like Zaatari in Jordan, which aim to provide joy and activities for children.

Aleksander Čeferin at THE FORUM: “We Have the Same Goal — We Want Football to Flourish, to Become Better”

TL;DR

Key points

Q&A

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