Legends Lounge: UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin

Legends Lounge presented by booking.com welcome back guys this is Legends Lounge I'm R Ferd and today I'm diving into the world of European football from the very top imagine being the person who oversees it all safeguarding the future of the game organizing the European championships and nurturing gas Roots football for both men and women it takes a lot of determination intelligence commitment and a touch of Charisma to lead such a massive organization I'm excited to have it with us today the person who embodies all of that please welcome Alexander sheffron president of UEFA how you doing good good to have you here man I mean listen I there's only one place really to start our show today and that's Euro 2024 um are you pleased with how the tournament has progressed so far yeah I mean the tournament is amazing fans are amazing great matches uh a lot of tight matches luck for some teams and England and unluck for Slovenia for example yeah but uh great tournament great fans not many incidents you have to know that media mainly speaks about the negative stuff so there were three four incidents all together and we have like more than 3 million fans here so it's amazing how how much effort goes into that element because obviously we do hear and see at tournaments and the focus as you said rightly there that is always from the media about negative stuff how much Focus before a tournament is on securing good behavior from fans I mean it's hard to secure good behavior I have to say that fans of national teams are a bit more polite than the of the they don't fight so much uh from the other point of view fan zones should be good they have to have places to to have party to to to relax um and I think that prevents violence in terms of um effort how much goes into staging and Euros like give me a little bit of background as to what the tasks that you have going into a tournament of this size well it's a huge huge thing you know we have uh 250 of our people working all the time on this project we have 16,000 uh uh volunteers wow we've had many meetings with German government uh I mean you have to know that it's it's a big big responsibility to organize an event like that especially in these tough times where you have uh different security issues you have you have people coming with visas without visas you have electronic ticketing where you never know if it would work or not so it's it's it's a huge huge task to just talking about ticketing Etc technology is playing a huge part now and has that made it a lot easier for you guys or is it bringing more difficulties or or or problems in in in certain areas uh it's quite easier I would say especially for the fans uh now uh we shrinked if not completely eliminated the black market by that and everybody says that uh that the ticketing system works great except one journalist from Germany who who texted me that it's not good but I don't know so Euro 2016 was a real Turning Point with the expansion from 16 to 24 teams um how's that expansion been able to help you deliver more opportunities and excitement as a product it's it's much more interesting and uh you know you see Georgia you see Slovenia you see some countries that might not qualify in the at the Euro if it would be 16 teams only and and they deserve to be here you see that everybody can beat everyone we have 24 fantastic teams here with the exception from let's say two or three teams euro is for sure if we add two or three teams euro is for sure much stronger than the World Cup it's it's funny you say that my my experience walking around around the streets going to the fan Parks Etc and seeing the countries like Albania and Georgia Slovenia your country as well who have little experience here and and and these places you can you can sense with the fans there's a different excitement and energy with them because it's they're not here all the time and that's been a great great I think addition to this this competition and they've behaved supremely well as well you must be proud of that yeah it's great and and also you know these days not many things makes us patriotic and proud about your our countries and you see that you get goosebumps when you when you hear even even when I hear other national anthems if I hear mine I get a bit more emotion but um it's great that you see that football can unite people in the world where is a lot of islands a lot of uh um tensions we are living in difficult times so this is a relief for all of us well 100% And a lot of volunteers you say you've got working here and different people as part of your team and this tournament has been a real celebration for inclusion how important it was that messaging and that at the beginning of of starting a tournament like this how important was that for you guys it's hugely important and the important thing is that we also send a message to people but not just to people but also to politicians who uh don't exactly try to unite us uh that uh events like that should be unifying and that that we as Europe should should stick together should show some kind of European Spirit which uh I don't see much in in in our society so football football is much more than just a sport yeah definitely it can show people the right way to do things on it and um I can sense your passion for football um but as your role as UF for president how do you find the right balance between fan and president I mean uh uh my club I was born in ex Yugoslavia because I'm old enough that I lived in those times so my club was haiduk split which is now in Croatia who's which players played hauk split uh shakan I don't know that was one of the best teams in Yugoslavia so uh I don't have a special club that I support but I'm absolutely dying inside when Slovenia is playing I cannot show it because I have to be neutral but have to say that after the match Slovenia Portugal I didn't sleep more than one hour wow are you celebrating goals and moments and when they qualified for the tournament are you like one of those guys no if I'm at home yes if I'm on the Tribune I can't I didn't do it even when I was the president of federation because I I think you have to show respect to the other president who is sad so I try to control myself but it's not easy it doesn't mean I I don't Suffer Well that that discipline and being able to control yourself it leads me to looking into you a bit further for the show and into your background you're is it true you're a black boat in K karate yeah yeah I trained karate for 28 years now already wow so uh this is why you look so fit then huh yeah it's it's a great Sport and and it's it's um it's as you said good for concentration it's a kind of meditation uh you know in this you cannot say that this guy didn't pass the ball to you or that it's the fault of the goalkeeper it's it's it's a special sport well as you came into the into the room we we had a little bit of a a practice then we gave you on nine darts to play darts um let's take a look at how you got on so we're here with the nine Dart challenge all of the guys that have come through they've come through here and put nine darts in the board and the highest score wins at the moment I'm bottom all right so okay I wish you luck can I start yep you go I told you two all treble 17 what a score that is right five and treble 17 56 56 W 15 7 six 84 84 oh good score three more dots last one three dots left final it's aggressive six five 17 I think that's 13 isn't it 13 5 17 wow 119 oh good score it's good very good yeah well done right we're into it luck luck luck luck that's a good start wow what a technique um really good aggressive throw in and your score by the way you're you're just below the top four um 119 you happy with that score I'm happy because I didn't try this for at least 20 years but you know I would prefer being higher it's possible you're lucky that you're not where I am right at the bottom so that's good yeah but that's because you're a good host actually see this is what I'm saying that's what that's actually the reason you cannot kill your your guests IM exactly exactly respect okay um let's take you to the pitch now um I mean who has caught your eye at this tournament like who's impressed you most I mean there are many players in many teams that that impressed me honestly speaking if if I start with the with the finalists I'm always impressed by bellingham's extreme quality he seems a bit tired to me but but it's clear how and of course Kane as well I think that I was most impressed by uh by rodri he is the the brain of the Spanish team he does lose the ball I don't know how he does it George quasa I was impressed by one of our players called carnik I'm sure you never heard about him he plays in Slovenian league but he played an amazing tournament so many many good players it's it's really hard to to to to mention even 10 of them uh very very good football good obviously we've had some new regulations implemented into this tournament and I mean how successful do you think the new regulation of the referee only talking to the captain's been I think it's it's great and also the teams are happy and and practically all the leagues and federations said that they will do it in their own leagues Germans told us they will do it in fourth third second and and first division oh wow because uh you know know I don't think it's it's good to tolerate that 10 players are jumping around the the referee and pushing the referee uh it's very good to know who is the captain and the captain speaks directly to the referee I think it's it's it it play that well and we will do it in the club competition next season as well so these new regulations that come in and and different things that are going on in and around the tournament on and off the pitch are you a president that is keeping your finger on the pulse of all of this throughout the tournament or you want to get an evaluation at the end of a tournament how does that work with you we discuss all the time and I never comment any decisions of the referees but we discuss it internally a lot because and we have different opinions many times um but but I think that uh a tournament like that uh shows us where we could approve improve as well um I was talking about uh 3 cm offsite for a long time I was talking about handball that nobody understands it for a long time the problem I have that the coaches support this only when they lose the match and the other one says that it's a great rle so we have to start start speaking seriously about it I said many times if you have a big foot or a big nose you should be in offsite that's not the meaning of the rule yeah uh and handball to be honest I don't know anyone who understands completely completely it's it's uh but but all all these tournaments U are very helpful that that we in the future we can we can see what we do and and back to off the pitch I mean there's so many people like you said you had like you got 16,000 volunteers 250 people working constantly since the for four years on the on the whole tournament who who is who are the unsung heroes off of the pitch you guys I would say for sure uh the volunteers uh I would absolutely praise German police they are friendly from one point of view from the other point of view strict and taking care of security and I I have to mention our CEO of the UFA events Martin Cen who is um never praised but always criticized so everything if everything is fine they say okay it's fine if something is wrong it's him and me of course but he's doing the stuff so and there are many many other Heroes as well how do you deal with that I mean I mean as president you're always going to be in the in the line of fire when like you say when things are going wrong or there's big questions how do you deal with that responsibility and that pressure and the focus on you I mean I understand that if you are in a position like that it's always your fault and um I know that I knew that when when I came whenever something is wrong and it's connected to WEA it's the one who is responsible plus [Music] me as an addition uh but I think uh we have to deal with that and I I do deal with that I don't run away from this responsibility I when I was president of federation I said to to the national team coaches if you will be winning you and the players are heroes if you are be losing you and me are idiots mhm so coaches can be heroes or not players are always Heroes and we we are always uh to blame but this is normal yeah in sport is always similar like this as well but you know I I look at the Federation you look at the UEFA and you see FIFA over there rivalries in football are normal from the outside I don't know but you're on the in a workings of this is there a rivalry between UFA and FIFA or is it is it teamwork is it joined up writing and your aligned of your thinking honestly speaking it's both I think from one point of view we work together 90% we have to work together now many people don't know that UFA is not member of FIFA we are a completely separate organization from the other point of view there's a European organization that is four times bigger financially and this creates some problems sometimes for the other side for years it's it's not about about now so uh it's always a bit of rivalry and a lot of of work together and and this this tournament you look at this and what you've created it's been it's been Sensational so far what is the Legacy for you going to be looking like at the end of a tournament like this look I one thing is that this is the greenest Euro that we sold the most tickets in history that uh also revenues are huge and what people don't know 97% of all the revenues go back to football uh but for me the wider message is even more important that in the times when we have every day another War when we have violence everywhere when we have only negative energy in the air there's an event where people celebrate when they are patriotic when they are happy where they they don't think you know fans here don't think that the football match is war M it's a game m it's a game when the better team wins sometimes we are mad sometimes we don't like the referees decisions but in the end it's a festival of friendship a festival of unity of football and uh it's a festival of non-discrimination so I think this wider message is the biggest Legacy for that's great I mean it's more than a game I suppose more than a game I heard an interview I don't know who was it and they asked him which is the most popular sport and he said basketball and people say what about football the journalist said and he said football is a religion that's not sport that's nice I like that yeah that was nice isn't it it nice well listen you're probably wondering what this is here um every sing I'm already afraid of this don't worry I'll look after you um but we have some funny things on the on the board all you have to do is spin the wheel and where it lands I'll then guide you with the questions okay y if you lean forward and just use your fing okay can I move this or yep and then just we can sit back down there you go phone message ah so this one is last time we had Jose fonte um and I said can I message someone in your phone or you can message someone in my phone if you want to do that is there somebody you would like to message maybe I don't know an old teammate of mine or something like that yeah who can we who can we get you to message should I do a video message let's do name and V the man viit perfect V because you were two tough Central Defenders that yeah many uh forwards were afraid of do I go n we have a we just playing a game here on a a show we're doing called Legends Lounge unfortunately you didn't travel and you couldn't be on here but I've got a message for you from someone who' like to leave a message for you so all the best from Berlin I'm sitting here with your friend and your colleague Central Defenders Killers take care good next time make sure you come yeah okay he'll be funny with that I'll send it to him and see what he says yeah thank you I spoke in Serbian first because because I know he yeah yeah so you speak You're Serbian yeah because I was born in Yugoslavia so I speak also Serbian oh good he's a great guy I mean he's got a great story as well his family where he played and stuff and yeah really Stern and serious guy but a wonderful player great great partner um back to you 70 years of UEFA which is a huge achievement um how has the organization changed over those 70 years obviously you wasn't there for the whole 70 years even your time how is that has it evolved I mean when they uh came to an idea to to make Association of European associations uh football associations they it was a tiny thing they didn't even think that it will become so so huge and it's it's evolving every single cycle let's say not that's threee Cycles um they started with five people working at UF now it's close to 800 and the revenue is 7 close to 7 billion per year per year so it's it's a huge huge uh thing that developed uh and 70% of that 7 billion goes 97% goes back into football wow 97% so we spend for our functioning mhm less than any NGO in the world every NGO spends from 10 to 20 25% that people don't know that they say ah it's all about money it's fine I would like to have 20 billion if we redistribute and why football is so strong okay it's football it's different but it's so strong because first everybody can qualify we don't have closed leagues and because we develop football everywhere every single Federation gets so much money that they can develop youth football you have to know that these tournaments are profitable all Youth and women's tournament are lost M but we call it investment because it's an investment there's it's not a loss if you invest into football that doesn't bring revenues so uh do you see a time when that might change for women women's football specifically because obviously women's football is going like that yeah but obviously the revenues is a different story um when do you see that where it changes and actually becomes a profitable it's going up as you said every year I I think it will become profitable very soon it's hard to say when um the thing is that um we have to I mean also broadcasters and sponsors should understand two things one thing is that it's good to invest into women's football because it's you invest into products when it's not so expensive yet and second they speak about equality many people speak about equality a lot but when you have to pay then they don't want to pay yeah yeah we are pushing a lot and it's getting more and more interesting and and all the Champions League finals last year were sold out so I'm very optimistic you have we also have to know that England is a bit different that women's football is a new sport you know in in in Eastern Europe women's football is played 10 15 years and men's football hundreds of years I mean more than hundred years so we have to be patient as well no 100% listen I can't have you here the president of UEFA and not ask on behalf of players um about the amount of games I think this is a big Topic in the game at the moment and a lot of the players are concerned and worried about too many games in a season and the what that puts on their bodies and what it could do maybe to the product of the game um what's your view on the number of games and and where it may be going yeah we we reached the ceiling I think but I think that the problem is that all the stakeholders should speak about it in England for example you have two cups and nobody wants to hear that you would have only one cup there's a new club World Cup after the season five weeks I don't know how this this will end up so I think all the stakeholders should sit and see what to do but uh I can say for ufa's competition that we will not do anything any matches more that's uh we stay as it is at least till I'm here I think the players will be happy to hear that they love playing football but when when it's too much I think on the on the bodies it can be a big stress just you personally is it what what's next for yourself you've done a you're in this job doing a great job in this role what do you see the future holds for yourself it's very hard to say if I learned anything in my life is that you have to be patient and the more you speak about the future the more it doesn't happen I I'm so in tune with that 100% so so I'm I'm calm I I'm I have a great family have three daughters I will I will become grandfather in August wow so there are nice things ahead thank you ahead of me and life will bring me something interesting for sure let's see good I'm open well good luck with that and finally um we have this wonderful trophy sitting next to us what is your prediction for the final Spain vers is England I mean I'm not a very diplomatic person and I would say if I would have a clear prediction I but I will not do it out of two reasons one reason is whatever I predict doesn't happen and second uh I really think it's 50/50 for me Spain plays the best football in this in this tournament m i i was fascinated by by Spanish team I didn't expect that before I knew they're one of the favorites but I didn't expect that and England has a really top quality players and I think that your team is rising slowly every every uh match they play better football I think now in the semi-finals they already played very serious football they started a bit shy but you know if you remember Portugal in 216 they played terrible football but in the end uh they became Champions so it's 50/50 what what I have to say because I have a chance and I don't give many interviews is that I was almost disgusted by uh the approach of uh English media towards the coach MH Southgate Southgate is the most successful coach that England ever had and he was attacked and r and uh and now probably he will be the hero because he came to the finals I I would expect from some of them an apology and not just pretending that they didn't say it yeah yeah um I really didn't like that I know it happens in football but but it's not fair the president has spoken now you know who you are and we want to see the apologies coming quick quick and fast when we win this title this trophy here um Mr President um it's been fascinating talking to you really appreciate your time I know you're one of the busiest men around in this period of time so thank you thank you very much pleasure was mine