UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin said that Serbia and other countries "rife with hooliganism risk being kicked out" of int'l tournaments if their governments "fail to stamp out violence at football grounds," according to Zoran Milosavljevic of REUTERS. The 49-year old Slovenian said that "offenders must be banned from entering grounds." Čeferin: "If they are not stopped, a disaster could happen and Serbia would be in serious danger of getting expelled from a competition. That would be a disaster for Serbia." He added that "strong measures must be taken." He said, "Education is helpful but repression is required too. UEFA has made it clear to governments in countries where this problem persists that Football Associations alone cannot solve it." Describing the 2026 World Cup, the first to feature 48 teams, as a "potentially exciting tournament," Čeferin backed the expansion from the present 32-team format as "a necessity to involve more fringe nations" (REUTERS, 3/31).
SCHEDULING TALKS: The PA reported European leagues will "discuss the possibility of scheduling domestic matches on Champions League nights at a meeting this summer." An agreement to keep UEFA club competition days "clear of domestic action expired on March 15," and the European Professional Football Leagues group will "now hold a general assembly in Geneva on June 6." The EPFL stated again on Friday that it has "serious concerns" about UEFA's decision last year to guarantee four Champions League group-stage places each to England, Spain, Italy and Germany from '18. The EPFL's members are "now considering a move which, if followed through, could affect attendances and television viewing figures for UEFA club competition matches and also the value of the rights to broadcast those matches as well as advertising and sponsorship revenue" (PA, 3/31).
