Recently, UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin gave an exclusive interview with Xinhua News Agency in Munich, Germany, during which he discussed various topics related to the European Championship (Euro) and Chinese football.
How would you evaluate this Euro tournament?
Everything was excellent. In my view, this may have been the best Euro tournament ever. During the matches, we could see how football brings people together. Fans enjoyed it, and there were no major incidents. Some strong teams provided us with great football. The weather was sometimes good, sometimes not so good, but overall, this was a fantastic Euro tournament.
The gap between teams in this competition seems to be narrowing. Which teams impressed you?
As you said, the gap between teams is becoming smaller and smaller. So far, the Spanish team has played brilliantly and impressively. Other traditionally strong teams like France, England, and Germany also performed consistently well, but the Spanish team did stand out a bit more.
Additionally, some “smaller teams” that are not usually among the powerhouses, such as Slovakia and Georgia, left a deep impression on me. Of course, I am also pleased with my national team, Slovenia, who did a great job.
You met with the president of the Chinese Football Association, Song Kai, in May. How did your meeting go? What kind of cooperation can we expect between UEFA and the Chinese Football Association?
We had a pragmatic and pleasant meeting in Bangkok and discussed possible areas of cooperation.
I believe China is a large country with many sports talents. At the Olympics, the Chinese team is one of the top-performing teams, winning many gold medals in various events. However, in football, China is somewhat behind. I think we can help. We know how to develop football and are ready for cooperation.
I think our common goal should be to cultivate a Chinese star player capable of playing in the Champions League. I told the president of the Chinese Football Association that the most important thing for Chinese football is to develop their own football, talent, and young players. They cannot bring in foreign players who cannot make it in European leagues because, if they do, it will be difficult to fully develop their own football. On this point, we share the same vision. We agreed to meet again in Switzerland this autumn.
