\n
UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin was criticized on Sunday by football’s governing body in Asia, Africa and the Caribbean for comments he said he would seek to expand to 48 teams. world cup<\/span> This creates an uninteresting match.<\/p>\nThe federations of Cape Verde, Congo, Curacao, Haiti, Jordan and Uzbekistan issued a joint statement in solidarity with the federations of Algeria, Egypt, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa and Tunisia.<\/p>\n
The statement said, “Soccer does not belong to any particular nation.Soccer’s strength comes from its universality.” “For many countries, participating in the FIFA World Cup is not only a sporting achievement; it is a moment that inspires generations, accelerates the development of football and creates memories that will last a lifetime.”<\/p>\n
The statement did not mention Ceferin’s comments. Slovenian websites Zrnar24 and Dosi reported that he spoke about this at a conference in Ljubljana last Monday.<\/p>\n
“There are a huge number of matches that are not interesting at all,” he said, according to Zurnar 24 newspaper, adding that the expansion would also allow smaller countries to participate and experience the excitement of the tournament.<\/p>\n
UEFA did not respond to requests for comment. The federation that issued the statement Announced by the South African Federation<\/span>did not immediately respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\nCape Verde, Cura\u00e7ao, Jordan and Uzbekistan qualified for their first World Cup, while Congo and Haiti advanced to soccer’s top competition for the first time since 1974. Curacao lost to Germany 7-1 in Sunday’s opening game.<\/span>.<\/p>\n“For Cape Verde, Cura\u00e7ao, Jordan and Uzbekistan, qualifying for the FIFA World Cup is a historic achievement and represents the realization of a shared dream for generations,” the statement said. “For countries like Congo and Haiti, returning to football’s biggest stage after a long absence has special meaning for the millions of supporters who have been waiting for this moment for years, even decades. <\/p>\n
“To suggest that these matches are of any lesser importance is extremely disappointing and fails to recognize the hard work, sacrifices and aspirations of players, coaches, clubs, football leaders and supporters around the world,” the statement added.<\/p>\n
___<\/p>\n
AP World Cup coverage: https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/fifa-world-cup<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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