Ceferin Targets Third Term As UEFA President

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin

Fabrice COFFRINI

Aleksander Ceferin will target a third term as UEFA president next year, the Slovenian told European football’s member federations on Saturday ahead of the Euro 2024 draw in Frankfurt.

Ceferin “took the opportunity to personally thank all 55 associations for their letters of support for the next elections received in recent weeks, confirming officially that he will run for another mandate at the UEFA Congress in Portugal in 2023,” UEFA said.

A lawyer by profession, Ceferin, 54, previously headed up the Football Association of Slovenia from 2011 to 2016.

During his period in charge, Ceferin has opposed the push by his FIFA counterpart, Gianni Infantino, a former UEFA number two, for a biennial World Cup instead of its traditional four-year slot.

But Ceferin’s biggest challenge was the emergence of moves to create a European Super League in the spring of 2021.

Launched by 12 major European clubs, the plan to supplant the lucrative UEFA Champions League fizzled out amid the fury of many supporters and the threat of political action.

Three of the clubs — Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus — continue to campaign for the Super League with a dispute over an alleged abuse of a dominant position by UEFA to be settled in early 2023 by the European Court of Justice.

In response, UEFA launched a major reform of the Champions League for 2024, with 36 teams instead of 32, and an eight-day mini-league instead of the traditional group stage.

TV rights have already been awarded for the record sum of 15 billion euros over three years (2024-2027).