Aleksander Ceferin, UEFA president, has delivered a scathing attack on his FIFA counterpart Gianni Infantino without naming him directly, using Hans Christian Andersen's "The Emperor's New Clothes" as a metaphor for FIFA's leadership. Speaking at the European Football Clubs general assembly in Copenhagen, Ceferin criticised the failed FIFA Forward Enterprise project, the Folarin Balogun affair, and what he described as a lack of transparency and consultation, declaring that "the emperor is naked" and that it is "time to say enough". The speech reflects escalating tensions between football's two largest governing bodies and signals UEFA's determination to find a challenger to Infantino ahead of FIFA's presidential election in March 2027.

Ceferin challenged club representatives to imagine if their own senior executives conducted secret negotiations over major assets without board approval, created controversial prizes without oversight, or allowed political pressure to influence on-pitch decisions—all actions he attributed to FIFA's leadership. The row between UEFA and FIFA intensified this week when FIFA accused UEFA of a "misinformation campaign" regarding the presidency race. Meanwhile, Nasser al-Khelaifi, chair of the European Football Clubs, ruled himself out of contention for the FIFA presidency but announced plans to establish a "World Football Clubs" organisation that would expand beyond Europe to include representatives from clubs worldwide.