Ceferin: "The Emperor Is Naked"

Aleksander Ceferin launched a sharp attack on Gianni Infantino on Monday, telling delegates at the European Club Association's General Assembly in Copenhagen that "the emperor is naked".

The UEFA president invoked Hans Christian Andersen's tale "The Emperor's New Clothes" to mock the language FIFA had used to defend Infantino's FIFA Forward Enterprise plan, a project that has since been shelved.

"Nearly 200 years ago, he wrote 'The Emperor's New Clothes'," Ceferin said. "We all know the story. An emperor is convinced he is wearing a magnificent outfit, one that, he is told, only fools or the incompetent cannot see."

"His court plays along until a child simply says out loud what everyone can see: the emperor is naked," he added.

The FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal would have created a commercial subsidiary controlled by FIFA, holding the rights to competitions including the men's and women's World Cups and the Club World Cup, with private investors allowed to buy up to 20% of the entity. Infantino had pitched the plan as a way to raise more money for football development and said it was subject to a democratic consultation with FIFA's 211 member federations, before it was dropped in the face of widespread opposition.

"Perhaps the moral of the story is that convenient words cannot change uncomfortable realities," Ceferin said. "Recently, world football has heard some very convenient words."

Ceferin's remarks widen a rift between the two governing bodies that has simmered since FIFA's expanded Club World Cup format last year and its push into new revenue streams under Infantino. Whether the criticism carries consequences beyond Copenhagen will depend on how FIFA's member federations respond in the coming months.