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BSP-02
FBL-UEFA-CEFERIN-ELECTION
UEFA president Ceferin set for re-election but battles await
ROME, Feb 7, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Aleksander Ceferin will win a new four-year
term at the head of European football’s governing body on Thursday but
battles still await the UEFA president two and a half years after the
corruption scandal that toppled his predecessor Michel Platini.
The 51-year-old Slovenian lawyer — who saw off Dutchman Michael van Praag
in 2016 — is the only candidate in the election this time which will take
place at the organisation’s Congress in Rome.
Ceferin’s reelection, on a full four-year term, is not in doubt. But the
number of votes he receives from among UEFA’s 55 member associations could
have an impact on his leadership.
Previously the head of the Slovenian Football Federation, Ceferin’s
presidency so far has been marked by his discretion and a less charismatic
approach than that of Platini.
The Frenchman is still suspended until October this year, when he will
complete a four-year ban from all football-related activities following the
corruption scandal that also brought down then-FIFA chief Sepp Blatter.
“The situation was ideal. The biggest scandal had tarnished football’s
image,” Ceferin recently admitted. “I stood. I was underestimated and when
(opponents) realised the situation, it was too late.”
Since then, Ceferin — recently ranked just behind Melania Trump among the
most influential Slovenian citizens in the world by Slovenian magazine
Reporter — has imposed his own, more understated, style.
His most notable achievements have been introducing term limits for UEFA
presidents — to a maximum of three four-year stints — and, according to one
of those close to him, “maintaining unity in European football”.
Having previously been largely charged with putting in place measures
voted for under the previous regime of Platini and Gianni Infantino, Ceferin
can now hope to really make his mark.
– Bone of contention –
The biggest bone of contention moving forward is the plan of Infantino —
now FIFA president — to introduce a new, expanded Club World Cup and global
Nations League. Determined to protect UEFA’s own Champions League and
recently-introduced Nations League, Ceferin is opposed to those ideas.
Infantino, who succeeded the disgraced Blatter in February 2016, will also be
unopposed when he goes forward for re-election on June 5 in Paris.
Reforms to the Champions League which mean the continent’s leading four
leagues — Spain, England, Germany and Italy — now all get four automatic
qualifying spots in the group stage were initially proposed by Platini but
brought in under Ceferin.
Nevertheless, the Slovenian has sought to champion the rights of clubs
from smaller countries, and he must look for ways to restore competitive
balance, something he recently said was his “greatest challenge” going
forward.
Late last year UEFA confirmed plans to bring back a third European club
competition from 2021/22, which would have 32 teams mainly from smaller
member associations.
However threats of a breakaway Super League have been staved off with the
signing Wednesday of a Memorandum of Understanding until 2024 with the
influential European Club Association (ECA).
Andrea Agnelli, chairman of the ECA which represents over 200 leading
teams, hailed the agreement as “an important moment in the history of
European football”.
“The Memorandum of Understanding places ECA firmly at the heart of UEFA’s
decision-making process, in a manner which properly reflects clubs’
contribution to the development of the game,” added Agnelli, who is also
chairman of Juventus.
“I believe (this agreement) sets the tone and bodes well for our long-term
cooperation.”
Meanwhile, Ceferin will also have to deal with the burning issue of
Financial Fair Play (FFP) — can he restore faith in what was one of
Platini’s flagship projects at a time when many feel clubs such as Paris
Saint-Germain and Manchester City have pushed its credibility to the limits?
BSS/AFP/FI/ 0911 hrs