CEFERIN, UEFA, AND THE SUPER LEAGUE: TENSIONS, LAWSUITS, AND GLOBAL SCHEDULES

American businessman Charlie Stillitano claims that Alexander Čeferin, head of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), declared that he had declared war on Stillitano for pursuing cooperation with three of Europe’s biggest clubs—Real Madrid, Juventus, and Barcelona. This assertion was reported by the New York Times. The dispute centers on Stillitano’s efforts to organize a series of exhibition matches in North America featuring these teams, an initiative that would have pitted the clubs against domestic opponents in high-profile showdowns. According to Stillitano, he possesses communications indicating that Čeferin warned him that continuing the collaboration would make him an enemy of UEFA, a threat that ultimately stalled the project and led Stillitano to exit the organization that had backed his efforts. The broader implications touch on governance, strategy, and the uneasy space where club ambitions collide with league authority in European football.