Aleksander Ceferin was re-elected unopposed for a third term of four years as president of UEFA at a meeting of European football’s governing body in Lisbon on Wednesday.
The 55-year-old Slovenian lawyer, first elected in 2016 following the downfall of Frenchman Michel Platini, will now remain in the role until 2027.
“I would like to thak you from the bottom of my heart for your unanimous support. It really means a lot to me,” Ceferin told delegates at the Uefa Con-gress in the Portuguese capital.
“It is a great honour but mainly it is a great, great responsibility, towards you and towards football.” The Uefa Congress came just a few weeks after Gianni Infantino was re-elected as president of the sport’s world governing body Fifa, also unopposed.
Ceferin recently successfully opposed proposals by Infantino to hold the World Cup every two years, and his re-election by acclamation comes after he also fought off the breakaway European Super League project during his second term.
He will now oversee the introduction of a new format for the Champions League starting next year.
However, the Super League is not dead yet, with Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus continuing to pursue the project.
A lawsuit has been launched against Uefa and Fifa at the European Court of Justice, accusing the governing bodies of abusing their power by threat-ening to expel clubs and players interested in joining a breakaway league.
A final ruling is expected in the coming weeks, although the court’s advocate general, whose opin-ions are often followed by judges, provided a first ruling favourable to UEFA in December.
“Those who promote this project are now claim-ing that they want to save football,” Ceferin said.—AFP
