UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has firmly ruled himself out of running for the FIFA presidency, but warned that current president Gianni Infantino is on borrowed time following a series of contentious governance moves, including an aborted attempt to sell a stake in the World Cup to private investors.

Speaking on The Rest is Politics: Leading podcast, Ceferin launched a scathing assessment of Infantino’s controversial FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) project, comparing it unfavourably to the collapsed 2021 European Super League breakaway.

“I think it is even worse than the Super League plan,” Ceferin said. “In the first case, super important clubs wanted to do their own league, which is wrong and we would destroy football. But, in this case, football would be literally sold. I’m absolutely sure that the plan is dead. But things get too far.”

Mounting Opposition Ahead of FIFA Elections

The FFE scheme, which proposed creating a subsidiary to control FIFA tournaments and selling a 20 percent stake to private investors led by Joshua Kushner, collapsed shortly after details were leaked. The aftermath sparked fierce backlash, leading three of FIFA’s six confederations—including UEFA—to call for Infantino's resignation.

Infantino intends to run for a fourth term at the FIFA Congress in Rabat in March. Ceferin made it clear that Infantino will face strong opposition if he refuses to step aside.

“One option is that he realises that he doesn’t have the support — and that’s not only the political support of the ones who vote, but the political support of the football community, the political support of fans, the political support of the players, former players, coaches,” Ceferin stated. “And the second option is that goes to the elections in March but, in that case, I think he will have a candidate against him. I don’t know yet who.”

Why Ceferin Will Not Run for FIFA Presidency

Despite being Infantino’s fiercest adversary, Ceferin confirmed he has no interest in seeking the presidency himself.

“I’m not interested because of two reasons,” Ceferin explained. “One reason is that I love UEFA and I love working here. And I think that at a certain point… it’s time also to enjoy life a bit. Let’s see ’till when. And the second point is my credibility is much, much, much higher if I’m not interested in the position.”

Ceferin also dismissed Infantino's rhetoric portraying UEFA as an arrogant European bloc standing in the way of global redistribution.

“What I hear is that they play on, you know, arrogant Europe is against us — ‘they have enough money but I help the small and the poor’ — and stuff like that,” Ceferin said. “But I think someone should remind him that he is a European and that he was supported by UEFA, which he forgot.”

Frustrations Over World Cup Governance and Rules

During the podcast, Ceferin revealed widespread discontent across UEFA's 55 member associations, noting that smaller nations were equally outraged by the commercialisation push. He also voiced frustration regarding off-pitch interventions, including FIFA's suspension of a one-game ban for U.S. striker Folarin Balogun after political intervention.

“We have rules and, if you don’t respect your own rules, then the game doesn’t make any sense,” Ceferin said, calling the move “more than shocking.”

When asked by former England international Gary Lineker about the broader state of the sport, Ceferin addressed issues surrounding Financial Fair Play, VAR decisions, and the enduring competitive strength of the English Premier League.