2026 World Cup: World Cup nations hit back at UEFA chief over ‘meaningless matches’ remark

A group of football feder jin88bet.one ations from Afric jin88bet.one jin88bet.one a, the Caribbean and Asia hav jin88bet.one e issued a strongly worded st jin88bet.one atement condemn jin88bet.one jin88bet.one jin88bet.one jin88bet.one jin88bet.one jin88bet.one jin88bet.one jin88bet.one j jin88bet.one jin88bet.one jin88bet.one jin88bet.one in88bet.one jin88bet.one in jin88bet.one g recent comments by UEFA President Aleksander Č jin88bet.one jin88bet.one jin88bet.one jin88bet.one jin88bet.one eferin jin88bet.one regarding th jin88bet.one jin88b jin88bet.one jin88bet.one et.one jin88bet.one jin88bet.one jin88bet.one jin88bet.one jin88bet.one jin88bet.one jin88bet.one e expanded jin88bet.one FIFA World Cup.

The federa a ak168app.baby k168app.baby tions, ak168app.baby representing ak168app.baby nations including ak168app.baby ak168app.baby ak168app.baby ak168app.baby ak168app.baby ak168app.baby ak168app.baby ak168app.baby ak168app.baby ak168app.baby ak168app.baby ak168app.baby ak168a ak168app.baby ak168app.baby pp.baby ak168app.baby ak168app.baby ak168app.baby ak168app.baby ak168app.baby ak168a ak168app.baby pp.baby ak168app.baby ak168app.baby ak168app.baby Ghana ak168app.baby , ak168app.baby ak168app.baby ak168app.baby ak168app.baby ak168app.baby ak168app.baby ak168app.baby Senegal, ak168app.baby ak168app.club ak168app.club ak168app.club ak16 ak168app.club ak168app.club ak168app.club 8app.club ak168app.club ak168app.club ak168app.club ak1 ak168app.club 68app.club ak168app.club ak168app.club a ak168app.club k168app.club ak168app.club ak168app.club ak168app ak168app.club .club ak168app.club ak168app.club ak16 ak168app.club 8app.club ak168app.club ak168app.club ak168app.club ak168app.club ak168app.club ak168app.club Morocco, ak168app.club ak16 ak168app.club ak168app.club 8app.club Egypt, ak168app.club ak168app.club Algeria, ks168 ks168a ak168app.club pp.site app.site ks168 ak168app.club app.s ks168app.site ks168app.site ks168app.site ks168app.site ks168app.sit ks168app.site e ks168app.site ks168app.site ks168app.site ks168app.site ks168app.site ks168app.site ks168app.site ks168app.site ks168app.site ks168app.site ks168app.site ks168app.site ks168app.site ks168app.site ite ks168app.site ks168app ks168ap ks168app.site p.site .site South Africa ks168app.site , ks168app.site ks168ap ks168app.site p.site ks168app.site ic88 ks168app.site ks168app.site ks168app.site ic88 ic88 ic88 ks168app.site ic88 ks168app.site ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 ks168app.site ic88 ic88 i ic88 ic88 c88 ic88 ic88 Cape Verde, ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 Curaçao, ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 Uzbekistan, ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 Hait ic88 i and ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 Congo, expressed “profound disappointment” after Čeferin reportedly described many matches in the expan ic88 ded tournam ic88 ic88 ic88 ent as ic88 “meaningless”.

ic88 In a joint statement, the federations rejected the suggestion that any World Cup fixture could be considered insignificant.

ic88
ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88

ic88 “For our countries, there is no such thing as a meaningless FIFA Wor ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 lr88 lr88 lr88 ic88 ic88 lr88 lr88 lr88 lr88 lr88 lr88 lr88 ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 ic88 lr88 ic88 lr88 lr88 ic88 ic88 ld Cup match,” the lr88 lr88 statement read.

lr88 lr88 lr88 ic88 lr88 lr88 lr88 lr88 ic88 ic88

lr88 lr88 lr88 lr88 lr88 lr88 lr88 lr88 lr88 lr88 lr88 lr88 lr88 lr88 lr88 lr88 lr8 lr88 lr88 lr88 lr88 8 lr88 lr88 lr88 lr88 lr88 lr88 lr88 lr88 lr88 lr88 The f lr88 ederations stressed that qualification for the World Cup represents a historic achievement for many nations and lr88 lr88 lr88 lr88 the fulfilment lr88 lr88 of dreams shared by generations of players and supporters.

lr88 “For our countries, qualifying for the FIFA Wo lr88 lr88 lr88 lr88 lr88 lr88 lr88 rld Cup lr88 lr88 lr88 lr88 lr88 lr88 lr88 lr88 represents a historic achievement and the realization of a dream shared by generations,” the statement co lr88 ntin lr88 lr88 lr88 lr88 lr88 lr88 lr88 lr88 lr88 lr88 lr88 lr88 ued.

lr88 The signatories argue lr88 lr88 d that lr88 describing cert lr88 ain match lr88 lr88 lr88 es as less important undermines the sacrifices made by p lr88 lr88 lr88 lr88 lr8 lr88 lr88 8 lr88 lr88 lr88 lr88 lr88 lr88 lr88 lr88 lr88 lr88 lr88 lr88 lr88 lr88 lr88 layers, coaches, football ad lr88 minis lr88 trators and fans across t lr88 he world.

“To suggest that some lr88 lr88 lr88 of our lr88 lr88 lr88 lr88 matches are somehow less important is deeply disappointing and amounts to ignoring the efforts, sacrifices and a lr88 op88 lr88 spirations of players, coaches, clubs, football officials an lr88 lr88 lr88 lr88 lr88 lr88 op88 op88 lr88 lr88 op88 lr88 op88 op88 lr88 op88 op88 lr88 lr88 lr88 d fans around the worl op88 lr88 lr88 op88 op88 lr88 op88 op88 lr88 lr88 op88 op88 op88 op88 op88 op88 op88 lr88 op88 d.”

The statement also highlighted the broader significance of World Cup participation beyond football itself.

op88 op88 op88 op88 op88 Acc op88 ording to the federations, qualification inspires future generations, accelerates footba op88 ll d op88 lr88 evelopment and creates moments of national pride tha op88 lr88 t si88 si88 op88 si88 op88 op88 op88 si88 op88 si88 extend far beyond the op88 sport.

“Football does not bel op88 si88 si88 op88 ong to a small group of privileged leaders. Its strength lies in its universality,” the statement added.

si88 si88 si88 si88 si88 si88 si88 “The FIFA Wor si88 ld C si88 up is the world’ si88 si88 si88 s greatest football c si88 si88 si88 si88 si88 si88 si88 si88 ompetition pre si88 cisely si88 si88 because it brings together different cultures, si si88 88 si88 88v si88 different histories and different footballing journeys.”

si88 The federations concluded by insisti si88 88v 88v 88v 88v ng that every nation that reaches t 88v he tournament deserves equal resp si88 ect and 88v recognition si88 .

88v “Every team qualified on merit. Every game cou 88v nts.”

88v 88v The statement was formally signed by the football federations of 88v 88v Senegal, Cape Verde, Curaçao, Uzbekistan, Cong 88v o and Haiti, while the f 88 88v v 88v ootba 88v 88v 88v 88v 88v 88v 88v 88v 88v ll associations of Al 88v 88v geria, Tunisia, 88v Moroc 88v 88v 88v 8 88v 8v co, Egypt, 88v 88v SEXXXXX-VN 88v SEXXXXX-VN Ivory Coast, Ghana and South Africa declared thei SEXXXXX-VN 88v SEXXXXX-VN SEXXXXX-VN SEXXXXX-VN r solidarity with the messa SEXXXXX-VN SEXXXXX-VN ge.

SEXXXXX-VN The response represe SEXXXXX-VN SEXXXXX-VN SEXXXXX-VN SEXXXXX-VN SEXXXXX-VN SEXXXXX-VN SEXXXXX-VN SEXXXXX-VN SEXXXXX-VN SEXXXXX-VN SEXXXXX-VN SEXXXXX-VN SEXXXXX-VN SEXXXXX-VN nts one of the SEXXXXX-VN strongest collective SEXXXXX-VN reac SEXXXXX-VN ti SEXXXXX-VN ons yet to criticism of FIFA’s expanded 48-team World Cup format, reinforcing the belief amon SEXXXXX SEXXXXX-VN SEXXXXX-VN SEXXXXX-VN SEXXXXX-VN SEXXXXX-VN SEXXXXX-VN SEXXXXX-VN -VN g emerging football nation SEXXXXX-VN SEXXXXX-VN s that the tournament’s globa SEXXXXX-VN l inclusivity remains one of its greatest strengths.

Kwaku Nii

Kwaku Nii is an experienced football writer with a strong background in African football reporting. He has spent over five years working as a freelance journalist, covering matches, transfers and key developments across the continent.He is university educated and has built a reputation for his deep knowledge of the African game, supported by a wide network of contacts within the football industry.Kwaku brings valuable insight, consistency and on-the-ground perspective to his reporting, making him a trusted voice in covering African football stories.He is currently a Staff Writer at African.Football, where he contributes to delivering informed, engaging and reliable football content to a global audience.

See Full Bio