UEFA chief Čeferin criticized by Asian, African, Caribbean soccer bodies over expanded World Cup remarks

Summary

UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin faced criticism from soccer governing bodies in Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean after allegedly stating that the expanded 48-team World Cup creates uninteresting matches. Six national associations (Cape Verde, Congo, Curaçao, Haiti, Jordan, Uzbekistan) issued a joint statement in solidarity with eight African and Arab federations, defending the universality of football and rejecting the notion that the sport belongs only to a select group of nations. The statement did not directly cite Čeferin's alleged comments, which were originally reported by Slovenian media outlets.