Suddenly continuing after all: Ceferin plans fourth term as UEFA President

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Aleksander Ceferin wanted to stop — and now he's carrying on. The president of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) has announced in Berlin in front of the 55 national associations that he will stand for re-election next April. The 58-year-old Slovenian, who has held the office since 2016, is thus running for an unprecedented fourth term in UEFA history — even though he had explicitly ruled that out in 2024.

The about-face: First quitting, then staying on

The break with what Ceferin had publicly said just over two years ago is stark. Back then, the lawyer from Ljubljana announced that he would not run again for the highest office in European football. Now, in Berlin, he has informed the presidents and general secretaries of all 55 UEFA member associations that he is making himself available for a final term — what UEFA calls a "final term." According to the association, the federations had unanimously asked him to continue beforehand; Ceferin accepted that request.

For you, this means: the European football family is clearly continuing to pull in the same direction with its sitting chief, and it has made that loudly known. A contested candidacy against Ceferin is currently not in sight.

No interest in Zurich: He won't run against Infantino

At the same time, Ceferin is clearly drawing a line around his ambitions. According to information from The Athletic, the Slovenian has ruled out running to succeed Gianni Infantino at world football body FIFA. European football politics remains his playing field — at least for the next four years.

The statutes problem: Three terms are actually the maximum

The fact that the fourth term is considered "unprecedented" has a concrete reason. As Sportschau reports, the UEFA statutes actually provide for a maximum of three terms. For Ceferin to actually run a fourth time, the UEFA Congress would have to change the rules — a step that is only possible with broad support from the 55 associations. That support appears to be there; otherwise the Berlin announcement would never have come about in this form.

What the fourth term means for European football

Since 2016, Ceferin has steered the association through some of the biggest crises in European football: the failed Super League revolt, the COVID pandemic with ghost games, and the handling of Russian clubs after the attack on Ukraine. Another term through 2031 would mean that this line — or a break with it — will be continued. Anyone hoping for a fresh start in Nyon will have to wait.

Bottom line: Ceferin stays — for now

Ceferin is carrying on, and that is clearly what he wants and what most officials want. For you as a football fan, little changes in the short term; but the course for the next four years is now set under clear personal continuity. The April election will show whether the necessary statutes change is actually waved through — and whether, in the end, a counter-candidate does emerge after all.

Sources: BBC Sport · The Athletic · UEFA.com · Sportschau