Aleksander Ceferin takes parting shot at former Uefa ally after announcing departure date as president

Zvonimir Boban resigned in protest at proposed rule changes and Uefa will have a new leader by 2027

(EPA)

Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin has confirmed he will not stand for reelection in 2027, ending his tenure at the top of European football’s governing body after three terms.

Current rules state that no president may serve for longer than three terms of office, with partial terms also counting towards this time limit. Ceferin took over in 2016, replacing Michel Platini after he resigned following a football ban handed to him, meaning he could not remain in place beyond ‘27 unless statues were changed.

And an apparent attempt to change those before this week’s Uefa Congress meeting in Paris would have meant the part-term served by the Slovenian no longer counted towards his total time in power, leaving him free to be in the running to stay in office until 2031.

Zvonimir Boban, Uefa’s technical director, resigned over the proposals and the English FA were set to vote against the rule change. Boban wrote that Ceferin’s “shift away from these values is beyond comprehension” as dissatisfaction around Uefa’s direction began to surface.

In turn, The Independent’s chief football writer Miguel Delaney reports from Paris that Ceferin criticised Boban’s “narcissistic whining” and took aim at “his pathetic cry about morality” as he announced his decision not to run again.

Matt Slater of the Athletic reports that Ceferin did communicate his decision to Boban, however, and says the current president had decided six months ago to depart.

In a press release, Uefa announced that all proposed amendments to the Uefa Statutes had been approved, meaning at least two female members on the board of the executive committe. Additionally, the age limit for seeking election has been removed - previously set at 70 years old.

The change in statute allowing terms of office started or served before 1 July 2017 shall not be included in term limits remains in place and was approved, but with Ceferin’s decision to not run again, will have no bearing for now.