Ceferin shrugs off Boban departure saying Congress will decide if UEFA has term limits

January 29 – UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin insists the organisation is united and democratic despite last week’s surprise resignation of Director of Football Zvonimir Boban.

Boban, previously one the most influential members of Ceferin’s inner circle, stepped down in opposition to a change in the statutes that would let Ceferin stay in office as president longer than the current rules permit, possibly until 2031.

Boban voiced his disapproval of the proposed amendment, accusing the Slovenian of pursuing “personal aspirations” and an autocratic agenda.

But in a hard-hitting interview with The Guardian newspaper, Ceferin rejected such accusations.

“His departure hasn’t caused any significant disruptions, let alone shock waves, within UEFA or the European football community, even if it was unexpected,” Ceferin said.

“It’s a gross misstatement to suggest UEFA is fragmented beyond repair. Congress and not an individual holds the authority to determine the appropriateness of any changes. We trust in our collective, democratic decision-making process to guide us forward effectively.”

Explaining the narrative around the statute changes, Ceferin, a lawyer by profession, added: “There is a legal question and a factual question. The legal question: in 2017 we had a congress and I proposed term limits, which came into the statutes.

“But the wording was so unclear that de facto we didn’t have term limits, because after every change of the statutes any previously served terms wouldn’t count. I did not know that at the time. So in 2018 our administration changed the wording to link it to the existing statutes every time.

“But that was done without the approval of congress, which is obligatory, and without approval from any other UEFA organ, which makes the provision invalid. We are doing that to clarify this provision and if we don’t then there would be no limit and I could run for ever.”

Despite apparent unity within the…

Source link : https://www.insideworldfootball.com/2024/01/29/ceferin-shrugs-off-boban-departure-saying-congress-will-decide-uefa-term-limits/

Author : Paul Nicholson

Publish date : 2024-01-29 11:30:51

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