His face and his words hardly suggest this; but Aleksander Ceferin likes the element of surprise. He demonstrated this on Thursday February 8, in Paris, in front of the media gathered for a press conference to review the UEFA congress.
The Slovenian leader, firmly installed at the head of the continental body since 2016, had voted earlier in the day on a revision of the statutes authorizing him to keep his seat after 2027. An amendment approved by the congress almost unanimously, only England opposed it. But, surprise, Aleksander Ceferin announced that he did not intend to be a candidate for succession in 2027.
Difficult to understand. But the 56-year-old Slovenian explained his decision by family reasons and a certain weariness of power. “ I decided about six months ago that I no longer planned to run in 2027, he told the media. The reason is that after a while every organization needs new blood, but mostly because I have been away from my family for seven years and will be away from them for another three years. It's up to me to decide if I want to run after 2027. Honestly, I'm tired of COVID, I'm tired of the wars, the absurd projects of the so-called super leagues. I'm also tired of self-appointed moral authorities who are only moral when it comes to their personal interests"
With such an idea in mind, why did you invite the member federations to vote on a revision of the statutes? Aleksander Ceferin explained this at a press conference. “ From a legal point of view, the statutes had to be amended because the text of the 2017 congress was unclear and was clarified by the administration without congressional approval, which is illegal., he said.
At a press conference, the Slovenian also explained why he waited until the end of the Paris congress, Thursday February 8, to announce his decision to step down at the end of his current mandate. “ I wanted to see the true face of some people first and I saw it, I saw the good and the bad, he said, a direct allusion to the recent resignation of former Croatian player Zvonimir Boban from his position as UEFA football director in a sign of defiance of his decision to modify the body's statutes. And of course, I didn't want to influence the congress, I wanted them to decide without knowing what I'm telling you today, because it's an honest decision. »
Three years before the end of his mandate, Aleksander Ceferin not only took everyone by surprise. He also launched the campaign for his succession. Without an obvious candidate, she looks very indecisive. The Slovenian will follow her from his observer position, in the front row. It remains to be seen whether the fatigue » will lead him to remain only an observer.
