Aleksander Ceferin did not shy away from sporting matters in his interview with Politico, the EU’s leading media outlet. The UEFA president once again addressed the “Miami Plan” in detail and revisited the Super League project.

Reflecting on his tenure, Ceferin highlighted one of his biggest achievements: blocking the breakaway competition led by Real Madrid and Barcelona. Still, he admitted he remains open to dialogue if the project ever resurfaces.

Speaking about Villarreal and Barcelona’s planned league fixture in Miami, he was cautious yet firm: “We’re not happy, but legally we don’t have much room for maneuver if the federations agree. Still, this is something we must discuss seriously moving forward. Football should be played in Europe; fans should be able to watch their teams at home, not have to travel to the U.S. or Australia. If it’s a one-off, fine. If there’s a strong reason, fine. But in principle, European teams should play in Europe—it’s part of our tradition. We’ll also open this conversation with FIFA and all federations.”

On his reported meeting with Barcelona president Joan Laporta, Ceferin was direct: “If UEFA were negotiating with the promoters of the Super League, the UEFA president would know about it. That’s simply not true. Of course, we had communications—not with me personally, but with the two Spanish clubs. I also had a meeting with Laporta, which went well, but it was not a negotiation. The system and the new Champions League format will not change, that’s clear. Both Real Madrid and Barcelona will always be welcome in the European football family, where they belong.”

Ceferin also recalled the unity European football showed during the crisis: “Stopping the Super League, that elitist competition which, in my humble opinion, would destroy football as it is, was one of our greatest achievements.”

Finally, the UEFA president reassured that the Champions League final in Budapest is not under threat despite Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s ties to Russia: “Hungary is a member of ours. I respect the Hungarians and their government, just as I respect Germany’s or any other European government. If you think we’ll only award competitions to those aligned with the dominant political system, you’re wrong.”

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