UEFA president Ceferin promises bright future in new four-year term

ROME: UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin was handed a new four-year term on Thursday (Friday in Manila) and promised a bright future despite the “complex challenges” ahead for European football’s governing body.

The 51-year- old Slovenian lawyer was the only candidate going forward for election at the UEFA Congress in Rome and was voted in by acclamation.

His election was in contrast to the situation when he took over two and a half years ago, with football in turmoil amid a corruption scandal that toppled his predecessor Michel Platini.

Ceferin told UEFA’s 55 member associations that“with unity restored” he was taking over with“fewer doubts and less skepticism than back then”.

“When I see the unity of European football it makes me happy, when you see the financial numbers, you feel proud and confident that the future is bright,” said Ceferin, revealing figures for the highest revenue in UEFA’s history with an annual income of 5.7 billion euros ($6.4 billion).

“We will be giving more money back to our sport than any other sports federation in the world.”

Having previously been largely charged with putting in place measures voted for under the previous regime of Platini and current FIFA president Gianni Infantino, Ceferin can now hope to really make his mark and implement his own changes.

“We are going to have to think ahead and undertake some major developments,” he added.

On top of his agenda for now is a battle with Infantino, who as FIFA president has been promoting a new, expanded Club World Cup and global Nations League. Ceferin is opposed to the projects.