UEFA Aleksander Ceferin Won New Term With No Opposition
The lone candidate for a third term as UEFA president is Aleksander Ceferin, according to the organization that governs European football on Friday.
At a congress in Lisbon in April, the 55-year-old Slovenian attorney who has seen a stern challenge to his authority from breakaway clubs attempting to create a European Super League will be re-elected.
Aleksander Ceferin was first elected in 2016 and has also had disagreements with Gianni Infantino, the head of FIFA, most notably over the proposal to hold the World Cup every two years rather than every four.
Following remarks on Thursday from Barcelona president Joan Laporta, who indicated he thought the competition may be up and running from 2025 if a crucial European court judgement goes in its favor, the UEFA president appears destined to face additional struggles over the Super League.
The initial idea, which had the support of 12 of the top clubs in Europe, was abandoned in 2021 due to opposition from governments and fans.
But the initiative is still being worked on by Spanish powerhouses Real Madrid and Barcelona as well as cash-strapped Italian team Juventus.
Early this year, the European Court of Justice is expected to rule on a lawsuit that claims FIFA and UEFA abused their authority by threatening to ban teams or players who joined a Super League.
However, in December, the court’s chief legal counsel stated that both governing bodies had complied with the law.
Even if the court is not required to follow that opinion, it will be regarded as an indicator of the course the case is heading.
