Celje close to Champions League as Čeferin and Infantino play familiar roles

When Armando Kučys’s shot went wide, Celje lost more than one scoring chance. The moment, the article argues, exposed how the dreams of small clubs increasingly depend on the balance of power among FIFA, UEFA and global capital.

That question reaches beyond the sports pages because it helps determine whether Slovenian champions can realistically approach the Champions League. A successful run would also bring an additional four million euros to the other Slovenian top-flight clubs, the article says.

The piece argues that Celje’s breakthrough was objectively closer this year than during Maribor’s golden years. It then examines how attempts to privatise the game, from the failed Super League project to FIFA’s reported $15 billion in revenue between 2023 and 2026, have reshaped relations between Gianni Infantino, Aleksander Čeferin and several continents.

For now, the article says, the outlook is favourable because UEFA has been more successful than FIFA. It asks what that institutional struggle means for Europe’s smaller clubs and whether the Slovenian champion will still have a route to the Champions League in 2026. The article also raises a connection with Tadej Pogačar, but the supplied text ends before explaining it.