adminATHENS. — Aleksander Ceferin, a little-known Slovenian soccer official, was elected as the head of European soccer’s governing body UEFA yesterday and promised to stand up to the big clubs.
UEFA yesterday overwhelmingly elected Slovenian lawyer Ceferin, almost unknown three months ago, as its new president to lead the world’s most powerful football confederation into a new era after Michel Platini was forced to resign.
Ceferin (48) beat Dutch football association chief Michael van Praag by 42 votes to 13 in the first round of voting after promising “bold” moves and an end to “intrigues” as the 55-member European body faces challenges over its flagship Champions League.
“I am not a showman, I have no ego issues and I am not a man of unrealistic promises,” said Ceferin after the poll amongst Europe’s 55 national football associations.
“My small and beautiful Slovenia is very proud about it and I hope that one day you will also be very proud about it.”
Ceferin said his first task would be tackling widespread dissatisfaction at controversial changes to the Champions League agreed between UEFA and the European Club Association, which has 220 members from 53 FAs, in favour of the big clubs.
UEFA increased the number of places allocated to clubs from Spain, England, Germany and Italy in the lucrative group stage and cut the slots for the smaller countries. The move came amid threats that the big clubs could form a breakaway Super League.
“Whether I want it or not, I will have to deal with that and that will be the first thing to deal with,” Ceferin told reporters. UEFA is a very good and very strong organisation, it was without leadership for some time and I think that in a way was a problem in dealing with those things.
“We should show we are the ones who are the governing body with our 55 national associations, and at the same time we have to have dialogue with the clubs and I think the situation can be solved.”
Former France international Platini had governed UEFA since 2007 and been re-elected twice until he was banned by FIFA’s ethics committee last October for ethics violations.
He finally announced his resignation in May after exhausting all possibilities of appeal within the sporting tribunal system, allowing UEFA to call yesterday’s election. — AFP.
Online Reporter