Slovenian Aleksander Ceferin was unanimously re-elected by acclamation in Lisbon this Tuesday for a third term in the UEFA presidency, for which he has chosen the defense and unity of football as flags.
“I want to thank you very much, from the bottom of my heart, [esta eleição] it means a lot to me. It’s a great moment, but also a great responsibility for football. I promise I will do my best not to disappoint you. Thank you very much”said the already re-elected Ceferin at the 47th UEFA Congress in Lisbon.
At the age of 55, the former president of the Football Association of Slovenia leaves behind a mandate in which he has had to deal with a pandemic, a war between two European countries, the ambition of the most powerful clubs on the continent and the adoption of changes in some leagues such as the Champions League and the Nations League.
Since his election in 2016, following the crisis caused by the corruption scandal involving then-UEFA leader Michel Platini, the Slovenian has asserted himself with authority with strong actions and messages against what he perceived as “the selfishness” of the defenders of the Super League and the “condemnation of Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine”.
Faced with war in Europe, Alexander Ceferin sprang into action almost immediately, moving the ‘Champions’ final from St Petersburg to Paris, less than 24 hours after Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
Three days later, he broke his contract with Gazprom, Russia’s largest energy company, which had sponsored UEFA since 2012, and excluded the Russian and Belarusian teams, as well as clubs from both countries, from competitions.
Ceferin was a staunch opponent of FIFA’s idea of holding the World Cup every two years, classifying the project as “populist and destructive to football”.
In April 2021, the UEFA leader opposed the project to create a Superliga designed by 12 of the most powerful European clubs, which, despite the European body, planned to develop an elite league.
The project died in its infancy, with most of the clubs involved pulling out hours after the announcement of the league’s creation, heavily criticized by Ceferin, supporters, footballers, coaches, managers and political leaders.
“UEFA and football are united against the proposal we have seen from some clubs in Europe driven by greed. The whole of society and governments are united against these cynical plans, which go against what football should be. Sporting merit is essential and we will never let that change”said Ceferin at the time.
The European body continued disciplinary proceedings against Real Madrid, FC Barcelona and Juventus, in the context of the Superliga project, for “potential violation of the legal framework” of European football, and reprimanded the other clubs for prematurely putting the proposal in the open. abandoned.
Nine clubs, namely Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester United, Tottenham, Arsenal, AC Milan and Inter Milan and Atlético de Madrid, have accepted a series of “remedial measures”, including forgoing 5% of a season’s revenue in European leagues .
The covid-19 pandemic, which shut down competitions for months, forced UEFA to postpone the European Championship from 2020 to 2021, the organization of the Champions League finals in Lisbon and Porto, and to open the ‘wallets’ to associations and clubs, with a total of more than 300 million euros.
Solidarity is one of the flags of Ceferin’s tenure, with the UEFA Foundation providing financial support to Ukraine and the victims of the earthquakes that hit Turkey and Syria in February.
The commitment to women’s football and the defense of human rights have also marked Ceferin’s tenure, with UEFA launching the “Time for Action” project, which aims to reach 2.5 million players by 2024.
Born in Grosuplje, about 20 kilometers from the Slovenian capital, Aleksander Ceferin is a law graduate who has represented several professional athletes and clubs.
Married and father of three daughters, Ceferin rose to the top of his country’s football federation in 2011.
The 14 September 2016 elections, precipitated by the corruption scandal involving Platini, made him the seventh president of UEFA.
Elected at the Extraordinary Electoral Congress in Athens by 42 votes to 13 of Dutchman Michael van Praag, he served an initial term of two and a half years, which was left to the Frenchman.
In February 2019, like this Tuesday, he was the only candidate for the leadership of UEFA.
Source: DN
