Slovenian Aleksander Ceferin has been elected the new president of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), and will hold office until 2019. The 48-year-old emerged victorious in the first round of voting at UEFA’s congress in Athens, picking up 42 votes to the 13 collected by 68-year-old Dutchman Michael van Praag. Aleksander Ceferin will succeed Frenchman Michel Platini, 61, who was suspended by FIFA’s ethics commission in 2015.
“I’m not a dreamer, I’m a pragmatist,” said Ceferin in Athens. “Our job is to protect this wonderful game. I’m very grateful to have the opportunity to take on this role. It’s a big responsibility.” The new UEFA chief declared that he is “no showman”, saying “I’m now in a position to oversee projects that will bring UEFA onto a higher level.”
Ceferin spoke of “the winds of change” blowing across European football. The union stands “at the dawning of a new era. It’s now all about stability – and the time for the privileged few has come to an end. I’m a team player, and I work with a lot of passion.” At the top of his agenda are “good governance and transparency, because football has to come first.”
Slovenian Aleksander Ceferin has been elected the new president of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), and will hold office until 2019. The 48-year-old emerged victorious in the first round of voting at UEFA’s congress in Athens, picking up 42 votes to the 13 collected by 68-year-old Dutchman Michael van Praag. Aleksander Ceferin will succeed Frenchman Michel Platini, 61, who was suspended by FIFA’s ethics commission in 2015.
“I’m not a dreamer, I’m a pragmatist,” said Ceferin in Athens. “Our job is to protect this wonderful game. I’m very grateful to have the opportunity to take on this role. It’s a big responsibility.” The new UEFA chief declared that he is “no showman”, saying “I’m now in a position to oversee projects that will bring UEFA onto a higher level.”
Ceferin spoke of “the winds of change” blowing across European football. The union stands “at the dawning of a new era. It’s now all about stability – and the time for the privileged few has come to an end. I’m a team player, and I work with a lot of passion.” At the top of his agenda are “good governance and transparency, because football has to come first.”
