As many as 13 nations at this summer’s FIFA World Cup released a joint statement expressing their “profound disappointment” with UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin for calling “a huge number of matches” at the tournament “uninteresting.”Čeferin, the head of the organizing body for European soccer, has often found himself at odds with his counterpart at FIFA, Gianni Infantino—who used to hold his position at UEFA. Čeferin scored points with many when his organization appointed Somalian referee Omar Artan to take charge of the UEFA Super Cup after the official had been denied entry to the U.S. while trying to make his way to the World Cup.However, just as in any more consequential political landscape, any head of government is only ever a few stray comments away from controversy. Cabo Verde, Curaçao, Uzbekistan, DR Congo, Haiti, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt, Ghana, Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire and South Africa ensured UEFA’s president was no different.What Did Ceferin Say to Anger So Many World Cup Nations?UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin talked himself into trouble. | IMAGO/BelgaČeferin was a guest speaker at the “More Than a Game” conference held in his native Slovenia three days before the World Cup kicked off. During a wide ranging discussion, the UEFA president was drawn onto the topic of the upcoming global tournament.When pushed on the competition’s expansion—this is the first edition with 48 teams after a run with 32 sides—Čeferin lamented: “We have a huge number of matches that are completely uninteresting,” as quoted by Slovenian outlet Delo Šport.“On the other hand, this also allows small countries to participate and experience the excitement of the World Cup, which is a big deal,” he added.The first half of Čeferin’s comments was belatedly picked up by external media and made its way back to a series of national teams that did not take kindly to the elitism it implied.World Cup Rivals Unite to Condemn ‘Deeply Disappointing’ JibeAchraf Hakimi’s Morocco released the statement. | Tnani Badreddine/DeFodi Images/Getty Images“The Football Associations of Cape Verde, Curaçao, Uzbekistan, Congo, Haiti, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt, Ghana, Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire and South Africa express their profound disappointment following the recent comments made by UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin regarding the expansion of the FIFA World Cup and his characterization of many matches as being ‘uninteresting,’” a joint statement released on Sunday read.“For our countries, there is no such thing as an unimportant World Cup match.”The “respectful but firm” release from this baker’s dozen pointed out that four countries were making their World Cup debut, while the likes of Haiti and DR Congo haven’t won a spot in the competition for 52 years.“To suggest that these matches are somehow less important is deeply disappointing and fails to recognize the efforts, sacrifices and aspirations of players, coaches, clubs, football leaders and supporters across the world,” the nations point out. “Football does not belong to a select group of nations. Its strength comes from its universality. The FIFA World Cup is the world's greatest football competition precisely because it brings together different cultures, different histories and different football journeys.”As the statement concludes: “Every match matters.”READ THE LATEST WORLD CUP NEWS, ANALYSIS AND INSIGHT FROM SI FCAdd us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow