What motivated the 13 teams to issue a joint statement?

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13 World Cup Teams Criticise UEFA President's Remarks on Tournament Expansion

Thirteen national football associations issued a joint statement to express their strong disagreement with reported comments made by UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin regarding the expanded World Cup tournament. The teams stated that they "respectfully but firmly reject" Ceferin's remarks, which suggested that the increased number of participating nations would lead to many "completely uninteresting" matches.

The primary motivation for the joint statement stemmed from a perceived lack of respect for the efforts and aspirations of all nations involved in the World Cup. The participating teams, including debutants like Cape Verde, Curacao, and Uzbekistan, emphasised that for their respective countries, no World Cup match is considered unimportant. They argued that Ceferin's comments failed to acknowledge the significant efforts, sacrifices, and dreams of players, coaches, clubs, and supporters worldwide.

The collective statement, which also included the football federations of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt, Ghana, Senegal, Ivory Coast, and South Africa, underscored the belief that every participating nation has earned its place on merit. The signatories asserted that all teams deserve respect and that every match holds inherent meaning for millions of people across the globe, directly refuting the notion that some games within the tournament are devoid of interest.

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What motivated the 13 teams to issue a joint statement?

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