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Aleksander Čeferin said he would not seek re-election as Uefa president moments after European football’s governing body voted through changes to its rule book that would allow him to run for another four-year term.
Čeferin said he decided about six months ago that he did not want to stay in the post beyond 2027, when his current term ends, having spent too much time away from his family. “After some time, every organisation needs fresh blood,” he added at a press conference on Thursday.
The 55 members of Uefa had just voted through a package of rule changes at its Paris congress, including one that paved the way for Čeferin to run for another term. Age limits for members of Uefa’s executive committee were also ditched, while two spots on the committee will now be allocated to women. England was the sole member association to vote against the reforms.
Čeferin, a Slovenian lawyer, became Uefa president in 2016 following a corruption scandal that engulfed Fifa, football’s global governing body. He has steered European football through disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic and the war in Ukraine, and seen off the threat of the European Super League, a rival to Uefa’s prestige Champions League tournament.
In his address to members on Thursday ahead of the vote, Čeferin said his “mantra” was that “the general good must prevail over individual interests”. He added that his daughter had likened him to a character from Lord of the Rings. “I’m not,” he said. “I’m not interested in the ring.”
At the press conference, Čeferin said he had not made his intentions clear sooner because he did not intend to influence the vote but wanted to see “the real face of some people, and I saw it”.
Zvonimir Boban, the former Croatian international footballer, resigned last month as Uefa’s chief of football in protest at the move to alter term limits, and accused Čeferin of pushing the changes “in pursuit of personal aspirations”.
Without mentioning him by name, Čeferin said the “narcissistic” resignation letter was a “pathetic cry about morality”, adding: “I’m happy that I can finally explain my point of view. I can always look myself in the mirror.” Čeferin said Boban was aware of his intention not to run again when he quit.
The gathering in Paris comes after Europe’s top court ruled that Uefa and Fifa acted unlawfully with their threats to punish those involved in the failed European Super League project. The architects of the original ESL plan led by Real Madrid see the judgment as an opportunity to try again.
In his address, Čeferin said European football clubs were free to enter new competitions if they wished, but warned of the dangers of being seduced by those “driven by the insatiable desire to generate profits for the privileged few”.
“Right now, some people are trying to trample on 70 years of history,” said Čeferin. “They are claiming to be saviours of football while in reality they are trying to dig its grave. They are trying to play the victims when really they are predators.”
