The Uefa president, Aleksander Ceferin, has condemned Fifa president Gianni Infantino's shelved plan to sell stakes in the World Cup, calling it "even worse" than the breakaway European Super League project, and has warned that Infantino will face a rival candidate should he seek re-election in March. The comments, made on The Rest is Politics: Leading podcast, reflect Uefa's continued campaign to force Infantino out following the collapse of the controversial Fifa Forward Enterprise scheme, with Ceferin also drawing support from Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation as Uefa keeps open a threat to boycott Fifa competitions.

Ceferin said the scheme, shelved in early August after widespread opposition, was worse than the Super League because it would have seen football "literally sold" rather than merely reorganised by top clubs. He revealed he has had no contact with Infantino since the row erupted, and suggested the Fifa chief now faces a choice between standing down or contesting elections in March against a yet-unnamed challenger, with Concacaf's Victor Montagliani among those tipped as a possible opponent. Ceferin, expected to run unopposed for a fourth Uefa term next April, ruled himself out of the Fifa race and also criticised Infantino's closeness to Donald Trump, referencing the US president's intervention over a red card given to American striker Folarin Balogun at the recent World Cup.