\u201eSince I became UEFA president, we have constantly faced certain problems. I do not know whether the blame lies with my arrival or whether it is simply a combination of circumstances. We had the COVID-19 pandemic, when everything came to a halt \u2013 there was no sport, there were no matches. Then we embarked on a period involving many risks, the infamous Super League emerged, followed by the war between Ukraine and Russia, and now the war in the Middle East.\u201d. <\/em><\/p>\n UEFA has never had as many problems in its history as it has during my mandate, but football possesses strength and, in a way, unites people on the pitch. There, there is no difference in religion, nationality, skin colour or anything else. That is why I believe football\u2019s task is to help in this \u201ecrazy world\u201c in which we live \u2013 because, for me, this is perhaps the most dangerous period since the 1930s \u2013 and to try to bring people closer together. That is one of the few positive things happening to us. Sport, and football in particular, is much more than just sport.\u201c.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n For years, you were sceptical about expanding the number of participants at World Cups, but it nevertheless happened, and FIFA is even considering an additional increase in the number of teams at both the men\u2019s and women\u2019s tournaments. More matches, more revenue \u2013 at first glance, it sounds simple. But is it really good for football? And in that regard, what is your relationship with FIFA? Are UEFA and FIFA rivals, at least occasionally?<\/p>\n \u201eFirst, I believe it is not good that 48 national teams will participate in the World Cup, because the quality will decline and the tournament will not be as interesting. There will be 5\u20130, 6\u20130 or 7\u20130 results, but at the end of the day, it is a World Cup. I did not oppose it too strongly. For me, it is crucial that the European Championship be stronger than the World Cup, which is a fact, but this is certainly not a good move. It is populism, a kind of political manoeuvre. Now there are 48, all right, let it be that way. It will create problems, but it is already at the very limit.\u201d.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201eThere have always been tensions between UEFA and FIFA, long before I arrived. Many people do not know that UEFA is not a member of FIFA. It is a completely independent organisation and is therefore structured differently compared with other sports. On the other hand, UEFA has a budget four times larger than FIFA\u2019s, even though FIFA is a global organisation, which constantly caused certain tensions. Nevertheless, relations are correct today. I think we have agreed on where the \u201cred lines\u201c are. They should leave us alone, and we leave them to work in their own way. That is why I agreed to the 48-country format \u2013 if FIFA wants it, let it have it. But we are not deviating from our path, which is somewhat different. Relations are becoming increasingly correct. There were a few tensions again, but that is probably to be expected in such a situation.\u201d.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Will UEFA remain committed to making ticket prices for Euro 2028 significantly lower than ticket prices for the 2026 World Cup?<\/p>\n \u201eWe are confident because we know very well that football in Europe is more than a sport. It is part of our culture and history, and we cannot and do not want to allow only wealthy people to attend our matches. We have a core of fans for whom ticket prices must be affordable. FIFA has a different principle, but in a way that is not my problem. We will absolutely remain committed to those low prices for the European Championship. I often speak with the NBA commissioner or others, and I see that a different mentality prevails there. In America, if you say the ticket costs 5,000 dollars, the person who does not have the money simply does not come. Here, if we raise prices, everyone will say: \u201eFootball is mine; you cannot take it away from me.\u201c We would have people out on the streets, and I believe they would be right. We are still working well, everything is excellent, so why would we raise prices? It is not all about money.\u201c.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n When the Nations League was created, there was considerable debate and scepticism about its necessity and format. Today, after several editions, what have we learned from that competition and how do you see its future?<\/p>\n \u201eWhatever you do in football, there will always be many sceptics. Regarding the Nations League, many people said it made no sense and would be boring, and now it is a huge success. We changed the club competitions and introduced the Conference League. Everyone said: \u201eWhy are you playing that league? It is irrelevant, for small clubs.\u201c Now those same critics ask us: \u201eWhy are you playing the final in such small stadiums?\u201c It is an excellent competition. I believe that if something is working well, that does not mean you should not change it to make it even better. We must never forget that football is for everyone and that it develops only if investment is directed to all countries, including the small ones. Look at the biggest clubs \u2013 they do not produce players; they buy them. We see a typical difference between basketball and football. Basketball was allowed to become a closed league, so national teams stagnate, while football is growing. We go up by 25% every time, which is very important because 97% of all UEFA revenue goes back into football. Name one non-governmental organisation that spends only 3% on its own needs? None. They usually spend between 15 and 20%. Football is excellently organised, not only because of me, but because it is a system established beforehand. However, I believe that is the most important thing.\u201c.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Do you believe that, with the introduction of the VAR system, football is falling into a kind of trap in which every moment of the game is analysed too strictly? Do measuring \u201eevery millimetre\u201c and detailed video monitoring of every contact in some way suffocate the natural dynamism and emotion of the game? And from your personal perspective, do you expect or support further changes to the rules in order to find a better balance?<\/p>\n \u201eThere is not just one answer to the question of VAR. I believe it has helped in many ways, but in many others I completely agree with you. If you have a \u201elong nose\u201c, that does not mean you are offside \u2013 there is no football logic in that. The handball rule is such that nobody knows anymore what constitutes an offence. That should be left to referees to decide for themselves. Nevertheless, VAR is excellent for offside decisions. We are currently working with IFAB to change the rule so that the entire torso would have to be offside, preventing players from being ruled offside by one centimetre. That would make more football sense. VAR is also useful for determining whether an offence occurred inside or outside the penalty area. I believe we use it well in European competitions because everything happens quickly, whereas in some leagues I see reviews lasting ten minutes, which takes away some of the energy. Nevertheless, nobody can say it is unfair if the offside is clearly visible. Today\u2019s footballers are extremely fast. No referee can keep up with the speed of players such as Yamal, Mbapp\u00e9 or Vinicius, and technology helps greatly here. However, I often tell our colleagues: VAR intervention should only take place in the case of a clear and obvious mistake, not for every minor detail.\u201c.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Macedonia and Slovenia are in the same group in League B of the Nations League. From a personal perspective, how do you assess the quality and potential of the two national teams?<\/p>\n \u201eBoth are serious teams, as is the entire group \u2013 the Scots and the Swiss, us and you. It is a group in which anyone can beat anyone, I think. It will be a difficult, really difficult competition. Regarding Slovenia\u2026 I told your coach today to take it a little easier against Slovenia, and to play more seriously against Switzerland and Scotland.\u201c.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n At a time when football is under increased scrutiny from the public and institutions, the question of integrity has become one of the key issues for trust in football. Suspicions of match-fixing and irregularities are not a challenge for just one country, but for the entire system that is supposed to guarantee fair and transparent competition. In Macedonian football, where official investigations have already been opened into several matches, this issue carries additional weight. How does UEFA view such phenomena, and what specific mechanisms and steps are being taken to prevent and sanction them?<\/p>\n \u201eMatch-fixing is definitely the cancer of football, and it is a catastrophe. I see a major problem in the fact that local police forces in some countries do not consider this a priority. In some places cooperation is better, in others worse. We do not have prisons, we cannot tap phones, nor can we obtain confidential data. On the other hand, it is extremely difficult to prove on the pitch that someone deliberately fixed a match. If a goalkeeper makes a mistake, is that match-fixing? It is difficult to say. Nevertheless, it is our priority. We have an agreement with Interpol and are trying to work on it, but these things are difficult to uncover. Still, we have uncovered many major cases and sanctioned many clubs. Through the \u201eSportradar\u201c system, we monitor all suspicions \u2013 if there are bets of one hundred thousand euros on the Macedonian third league, that is immediately suspicious and everything is stopped. But again, it has to be specifically proven why and how someone did it in order for them to be sanctioned. We have a serious team working on this, but that mafia is very strong and operates constantly. Today you can bet on anything \u2013 a yellow card, a player\u2019s appearance, anything at all. It is a complex problem that we are dealing with seriously.\u201c.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Almost five years after the unsuccessful attempt to create the so-called European Super League \u2013 a project initiated by the wealthiest clubs \u2013 it seems that the story has reached its conclusion, after Real Madrid, one of its main driving forces, also withdrew from the idea. Although it is now being presented as an agreement on principles, many interpret it as a significant victory for UEFA and for you personally, in contrast to the views of Florentino P\u00e9rez. Do you also perceive this outcome in that way, as a kind of victory?<\/p>\n \u201eI am pleased that we are all now on the same side. I do not even want to reopen those questions about the past. What matters is that we all saw that we have the same interest \u2013 for football to be for everyone and to be an open competition. I am satisfied that this is a closed chapter, but I will not blame anyone. You have to be smart and understand that my role is not to make it important who won, but to protect football, UEFA and all the associations. Now I have excellent discussions with them; they are all on our side. In the end, we saw that many things were \u201elost in translation\u201c. What happened, happened, and I will say the rest when I finish my mandate.\u201c.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Why do you believe Financial Fair Play is a better option than introducing a \u201esalary cap\u201c to control clubs\u2019 spending?<\/p>\n \u201eOne of the most important things is for clubs to be sustainable. If I invest a lot of money in a club and then leave, everything will collapse. That is why we must pay attention to revenue sources and the stability of clubs. It means nothing to us if a rich person buys a club as a toy, invests for three years and then suddenly loses interest. That leads to the collapse of budgets worth millions of euros. It is better for a club to operate at a lower level than to go bankrupt, which happened often in the past.\u201c.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Slovenia is an example of how a small country can play a \u201ebig game\u201c \u2013 without much fuss, but with consistent results. From Luka Don\u010di\u0107 and Tadej Poga\u010dar to Domen and Nika Prevc \u2013 the impression is created that success there is not an exception, but a habit. Is the success of Slovenian sport the result of a clearly established system, or is it more a matter of the culture and mentality that shape an athlete from the earliest age? And what is most lacking in other small countries trying to follow the same path? Macedonia and Slovenia are almost identical geographically and in terms of population.<\/p>\n \u201eIn Slovenia, the state invests almost nothing in sport; it is more a matter of mentality and culture. We simply love sport. Luka Don\u010di\u0107 sent me ten messages yesterday during the Real\u2013Bayern match \u2013 he wanted to comment on every action, the refereeing, the game. We live for sport, and I believe you Macedonians live for it too. You have had huge successes in basketball and you have excellent handball clubs. But, with all due respect to other sports, for me the greatest success is qualifying for the European Championship in football. When you compare football with other sports, it is \u201eday and night\u201c. You are close; we are right here. People from the West tell us that we from this region are born with a ball, because we are good at everything \u2013 football, basketball, water polo, handball, volleyball. In Slovenia, we also have skiing sports because we are closer to the Alps.\u201c.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n After one year at the helm of FFM, Masar Omeragi\u0107 has initiated and completed several important processes, including the introduction of VAR, a new Statute and a different approach to investment, at a time when the funds from UEFA\u2019s infrastructure funds allocated by the federation\u2019s previous leadership have already been spent through 2028. How does UEFA assess the reforms being implemented in Macedonian football, and how important is the proper management of resources in such circumstances?<\/p>\n \u201eMasar is doing an excellent job. We really monitor all the associations, and the Macedonian association, since Masar has been there, is one of the examples of dedicated work, and the differences can already be seen. Every time I come, everything is different. I may be a little subjective because he is my friend, but objectively, as UEFA president, I am extremely satisfied. I would never say that publicly if I did not mean it, because it could come back to haunt me. I congratulate him and the entire team. I am pleased that he has brought all former footballers closer to the Association, because in many other countries there is jealousy towards them, whereas he united them and the atmosphere is excellent.\u201c.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n How do you interpret the saying \u201ethere is no such thing as a free lunch\u201c in the context of modern football, and do you believe that precisely those \u201eoffers\u201c are the greatest challenge to the integrity of people at the top of sport? How do you manage to set clear boundaries in an environment where pressure and \u201einformal offers\u201c are part of everyday life, and do you believe that precisely that personal strength is crucial to remaining incorruptible in elite sport?<\/p>\n \u201eI believe the most important thing is to be able to look at yourself in the mirror every morning and not be ashamed of your own face. I would never sell my power for money, because the moment you sell yourself, you no longer have any power. I am truly trying, despite the mistakes everyone makes, to do the best for football, and that is how it will be as long as I am here. Life is beautiful and brings different things. I never think too far into the future \u2013 we will see what happens. I do not burden myself with that, because if you plan something five years in advance, it certainly will not happen that way. So, take it slowly.\u201c.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p><\/blockquote>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.ffm.mk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/intervju-ceferin-1.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.ffm.mk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/intervju-ceferin-2.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.ffm.mk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/intervju-ceferin-3.jpg\")
<\/p>\n