Uefa Chief's 'Resignation' Creates A World Of Confusion

With a statement that initially seemed as clear as you can get, Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin created a world of confusion. Such words might well describe a legacy that always lacked strategic coherence if the Slovenian does indeed step down in 2027.

- MIGUEL DELANEY

In a rare press conference after the 48th Uefa Congress in Paris, however, Ceferin came out with the following. “I have decided, let’s say around six months ago, that I’m not planning to run in 2027 any more.” So, Uefa could well have new leadership. That only opened up a host of new questions. Ceferin’s announcement comes on the back of mounting criticism where he complained he is being cast as “Kim Jong-un”, due to statute changes that were voted through at Congress and could feasibly allow the Slovenian to stay in office for 15 years.

It created the beginnings of a rebellion in Uefa, with up to 10 federations having considered voting against the statute changes. The issue is one that had been raised among member associations months ago. It even caused an angry exchange between Uefa treasurer David Gill and Ceferin before the Euro 2024 draw in Hamburg, after the former Manchester United executive delivered an impassioned speech about good governance. That was followed by the shock resignation as Uefa chief of football by Ceferin’s personal friend, Zvonimir Boban, on an explicit point of principle.

Meanwhile, all of this attracted increased scrutiny from the European Commission and European Parliament about good governance, after that point was specifically stressed by December’s European Court of Justice ruling on the Super