World Cup Newcomers Criticize UEFA President Over 'Uninteresting Matches' Remark

Newcomers to the FIFA World Cup are strongly refuting comments made by UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin, who recently described some matches in the expanded tournament as "completely uninteresting." The football associations of nations making their World Cup debut, including Cape Verde, Curaçao, and Uzbekistan, have jointly expressed their disappointment and disagreement with Čeferin's assessment.

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For our countries, there are no unimportant matches at the World Cup. With all due respect, we strongly reject such assessments.

Čeferin had stated at a conference that while the expanded 48-team format allows smaller nations to participate, it leads to a significant number of unengaging games. However, the newly qualified teams argue that for them, no match is insignificant. In a joint statement, they asserted that every nation earning a spot in the World Cup deserves respect and that their participation was earned on the field.

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We believe that every country that qualifies for the competition deserves respect. Everyone earned their participation on the field.

The statement, supported by several African nations as well, emphasized that football's strength lies in its universality, not in being exclusive to a select group of countries. They believe the sport should grow, offer opportunities, and inspire new generations globally. The participating nations stressed that every game matters to millions of fans worldwide and that the World Cup should reflect this global reach.

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Football does not belong only to a select group of nations. Its strength is its universality. Therefore, we reject the position of the UEFA president.