A coalition of thirteen football associations has launched a strong rebuke of UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin, after the European football chief dismissed several matches at the expanded FIFA World Cup as “uninteresting” — remarks that have drawn fierce condemnation from nations across Africa, the Caribbean and Central Asia. The global showpiece co-hosted by Canada and Mexico officially kicked off on Thursday – 11 June – with the co-host Mexico beating South Africa 2-0 in a capacity-packed Estadio Azteca.
The Football Federations of Cape Verde, Curaçao, Uzbekistan, Congo, Haiti, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt, Ghana, Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire and South Africa issued a joint statement on Sunday, making clear they will not let Čeferin’s words go unanswered.
“No such thing as an unimportant match”
The statement pulled no punches. For Cape Verde, Curaçao and Uzbekistan — nations appearing at football’s grandest stage for the first time — qualification is not merely a result. It is history. It is the fulfilment of a dream carried by generations of players, coaches and supporters who dared to believe their countries belonged on the world’s biggest pitch.
For Congo and Haiti, the return to the World Cup after decades of absence carries the kind of emotional weight that no television pundit or executive boardroom can quantify. Millions of supporters who have waited years — in some cases, their entire lives — finally have a reason to celebrate.
A global game, not a private club
The federations did not mince their words when addressing the broader principle at stake. Football, they argued, does not belong to a privileged handful of traditional powerhouses. Its greatness is rooted in its universality — in the fact that it unites different cultures, different histories and different footballing journeys under one roof every four years.
Behind every qualification, the statement reminded the world, lie years of sacrifice, investment, and relentless work. Behind every national team stands an entire nation — communities bound together by a shared dream, for whom a World Cup berth represents pride, hope and unity all at once.
Merit, respect and the right to dream
The thirteen associations were equally unequivocal on one point: every team that qualified did so on merit. No gifted berths. No sympathy votes. Pure sporting achievement — and that, they insist, demands respect, not condescension from those who sit comfortably at the top of European football’s hierarchy.
For many of these nations, a World Cup appearance is far more than a sporting milestone. It is a catalyst for football development, a spark that ignites the imagination of a new generation and creates memories that endure long after the final whistle.
The verdict
The joint statement closed with a message that was simple, direct and impossible to misread:
“We therefore reject the UEFA President’s comments and reaffirm our belief that the growth of football must continue to create opportunities, inspire new generations and strengthen the truly global nature of our game.”
The five primary signatories — Cape Verde, Curaçao, Uzbekistan, Congo and Haiti — were joined in solidarity by eight of African football’s most storied and influential associations, lending the statement significant political and symbolic weight.
Čeferin has yet to respond publicly to the backlash.
Every team qualified on merit. Every match matters.
