Ceferin reverses exit plan to seek fourth term as UEFA president

Aleksander Ceferin intends to seek a fourth term as UEFA president, reversing his earlier decision to leave the role when his current mandate ends in 2027. BBC Sport reported that the Slovenian informed delegates at a meeting of all 55 national association chiefs in Berlin. He was first elected to lead European football’s governing body in 2016.

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The election is due to take place at next year’s UEFA Congress in Astana, Kazakhstan, according to Press Association reporting published by The Independent. A successful bid would keep Ceferin in office until 2031. Thursday’s announcement establishes his intention to contest that vote; it does not itself give him another term or settle the outcome of the election.

The route to another term follows changes to UEFA’s statutes approved at its 2024 Congress in Paris. The Football Association opposed those alterations, PA reported. After the changes were passed, Ceferin said he would not stand again and that he had decided six months earlier to step down at the end of his third term.

BBC Sport reported that expectations of another candidacy had nevertheless been growing. His decision comes as UEFA seeks an alternative to FIFA president Gianni Infantino. Ceferin has ruled out running against Infantino himself, while remaining committed to finding a candidate around whom football can unite before FIFA’s presidential election in March. The UEFA and FIFA contests are separate elections.

The dispute with Infantino intensified over a proposal to bring private investment into the commercial interests of FIFA competitions. BBC Sport reported that the plan was scrapped following widespread opposition. According to PA, UEFA said it had lost confidence in Infantino’s handling of the proposal and announced in August that it would seek a credible challenger to the incumbent president.

UEFA had not united behind a candidate at the Berlin meeting, PA reported, despite earlier speculation that it might do so. The deadline for FIFA presidential nominations is November 18. Former Tottenham defender Ramon Vega announced his intention to challenge Infantino on Wednesday, but the reporting did not identify him as UEFA’s chosen candidate. Ceferin’s own immediate electoral ambition remains another term leading the European governing body.