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Kustić Praises Čeferin: UEFA Has a President Who Understands European Football

From Delo · () Slovenian

Translated from Slovenian and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Interview Named sources Outcome reported
  • Croatian Football Federation president Marijan Kustić said European football organizations unanimously opposed FIFA’s Fifa Forward Enterprise plan.
  • He argued that decisions affecting football’s ownership, finances or competition structure require transparency and consultation with national associations.
  • Kustić defended UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin’s decision not to seek the FIFA presidency.

For Marijan Kustić, FIFA’s abandoned Fifa Forward Enterprise plan crossed a line that European football could not accept. The Croatian Football Federation president, who also sits on UEFA’s executive committee, said the proposal raised the question of whether part of the World Cup’s commercial value could be handed to private capital without serious prior discussion with national associations and confederations.

“That was a red line for all of us in Europe, and we did not allow it to be crossed,” Kustić told Sportske novosti. He said he had attended meetings on the issue and insisted that European unity was not a public performance. The position, he said, was unanimous, and he was proud that European associations had acted as a barrier protecting football.

That was a red line for all of us in Europe, and we did not allow it to be crossed.

· Marijan KustićHe described European opposition to FIFA’s Fifa Forward Enterprise plan.

Kustić said football officials do not own the sport. They manage it temporarily and have a duty to pass it to the next generation without losing the qualities that make it the world’s most popular sport.

We have a duty to leave it to the next generation without losing the essence that makes it the world’s most popular sport.

· Marijan KustićHe explained why football officials should protect the sport’s character.

He described FIFA as an institution of enormous importance to global football and said major decisions require a high level of transparency, accountability and dialogue. The organization’s commercial, financial and competitive structures should not be changed without serious consultation with its members.

“It is good that FIFA withdrew the proposal that provoked strong opposition from European associations,” Kustić said, adding that assurances had been obtained that the model would not be reopened. He said the episode showed the importance of a united and strong UEFA when it believes a direction is bad for football.

FIFA is not a private company.

· Marijan KustićHe argued that FIFA’s governance and competition ownership should not be treated as commodities.

Kustić rejected reducing the dispute to his personal relationship with FIFA president Gianni Infantino. The central issue, he said, was how one of the world’s most important sports organizations is governed. He also defended Čeferin’s decision not to run for FIFA president, saying it should be respected.

It is good that FIFA withdrew the proposal that provoked strong opposition from European associations.

· Marijan KustićHe welcomed the withdrawal of the disputed plan.
About this summary

Originally published by Delo in Slovenian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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