ZCZC
BSP-02
FBL-UEFA-CEFERIN-ELECTION
Challenges lie ahead as UEFA president Ceferin set for re-election
LAUSANNE, Feb 6, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Two and a half years after becoming UEFA
president in the wake of the scandal that brought down Michel Platini,
Aleksander Ceferin will win a new four-year term at the head of European
football’s governing body on Thursday.
The 51-year-old Slovenian lawyer — who saw off the Dutchman Michael van
Praag in 2016 — is the only candidate this time in the election for the UEFA
president, which will be take place at the organisation’s Congress in Rome.
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 admitted during a recent speech to students in Ljubljana as
he discussed the situation when he took over.
“I stood. I was underestimated and when (opponents) realised the situation,
it was too late.”
– Make his own mark –
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 and implement his own changes.
“You can see with him a desire to give more of a place to the smaller clubs
and nations with the creation of a third European club competition and the
Nations League. But it is too soon to say if that will make a difference,”
says Didier Primault, director of The Centre of the Law and Economics of
Sport in the French city of Limoges.
– 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.
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’s presidency.
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.
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?
And in the background there is the question of whether he might one day
seek to take the step from UEFA to FIFA.
“For the moment I am not interested in the FIFA presidency at all. But if
you ask me if I will be in four, eight or 10 years, I can’t say yes or no,”
he said recently.
BSS/AFP/GMR/0844 hrs