Ceferin may remain UEFA president until 2031

UEFA is seeking changes to its rule book that would open the door for its president Aleksander Ceferin to extend his stay at the top of European football’s governing body beyond the 12-year limit he helped introduce, Report informs referring to Financial Times.

Draft proposals to alter the UEFA statutes, seen by the Financial Times, would amend the language related to term limits in a way that would enable Ceferin, in power since 2016, to stand for another four-year term when his current period expired in 2027.

Critics see any steps to amend or circumvent rules as part of a broader trend of weakening governance at large sporting bodies, with senior leaders eager to stay in charge as long as possible.

UEFA has also proposed scrapping the 70-year age limit on those seeking to serve on its executive committee, according to the draft plans, which could give some members the opportunity to stay on longer.

Ceferin, a Slovenian lawyer, rose to the top of European football in the wake of a corruption scandal at FIFA, the global governing body, that led to the resignation of then UEFA president Michel Platini. Soon after becoming president, Ceferin oversaw a package of reforms, including term limits, which he said at the time were “essential for the strengthening of UEFA”.

The current wording of the rules state that Ceferin’s first term began when he was first elected in 2016, but changes put forward by UEFA’s legal committee last month would in effect exclude it from the three-term limit by removing any period in office that “started before July 1 2017”.