Ceferin stated that trust in football rests on three pillars: unity, transparency, and governance that serves the many, not the few. He claimed that in recent times, all three pillars were disregarded by people who had sworn to protect them. The UEFA president also reiterated that football is not for sale, a message UEFA has carried for years.
The dispute centred on FIFA's proposal to sell a 20% stake in its commercial rights, including the World Cup, to private investors. The plan faced opposition from UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation, and Concacaf, with UEFA's 55 member associations warning they would not participate in FIFA competitions if it went ahead. FIFA eventually abandoned the proposal in July.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has written to the governing body's 211 member associations and members of its Council, setting out possible changes in response to the criticism. Infantino is open to a review of FIFA's decision-making and has put the idea to the FIFA Council, which meets again on October 15.