Aleksander Čeferin has reversed his earlier decision to leave UEFA in 2027, confirming plans to seek a fourth presidential term. The UEFA president announced his decision during a Berlin meeting with representatives from all 55 national football associations on Thursday.
Those associations had unanimously urged Čeferin to reconsider his previous position, giving him renewed backing to continue leading European football. He intends to contest re-election at UEFA’s ordinary congress in Astana, Kazakhstan, on April 22, 2027, for another term.
Čeferin first became UEFA president in 2016, replacing Michel Platini, who left amid the FIFA corruption scandal that rocked football. His decision reverses his February 2024 announcement that he would not seek another term after completing his current presidential mandate.
The 2024 UEFA Congress in Paris approved a change to presidential term-limit rules, opening the door for Čeferin to run again. Čeferin supported that rule change, which allows his initial partial term to be treated differently when calculating his presidential tenure.
The proposed fourth term would extend his leadership beyond 2027 and potentially keep him in office until 2031. UEFA said the 55 national associations had asked him to reconsider, citing their trust and the challenges facing European football.
In a statement, Čeferin thanked the associations and said important work remained to strengthen the organisation and unite the game. His announcement comes as UEFA also pushes for reforms within FIFA, whose current leadership has faced criticism from European football officials.
During the Berlin meeting, national associations discussed governance changes and called for new leadership at world football’s governing body. The decision also removes Čeferin as a possible challenger to FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who faces his own leadership discussions.
Leave a Reply