What Happened to Aleksander Čeferin?

Aleksander Čeferin, born on October 13, 1967, in Ljubljana, Slovenia, is a Slovenian lawyer by profession. He graduated from Ljubljana University's law faculty and worked in his family's law firm, specializing in representing professional athletes and sports clubs. His involvement in football administration began locally, serving on the executive board of KMN Svea Lesna Litija and NK Olimpija Ljubljana. He was elected President of the Football Association of Slovenia (NZS) in 2011, a position he held until 2016. In September 2016, Čeferin was elected as the seventh President of UEFA, succeeding Michel Platini, with a clear vision focused on protecting, promoting, and developing European football.

Upon taking office, Čeferin introduced significant good governance reforms, including the introduction of term limits for the UEFA President and Executive Committee members, allowing a maximum of three four-year terms, totaling 12 years. He was re-elected by acclamation for his second term in February 2019. His early presidency also saw the expansion of the European Championship to 24 teams.

A defining moment of his tenure was his strong opposition to the proposed European Super League (ESL) in April 2021. Čeferin vehemently condemned the breakaway project, which sought to establish a closed league for elite clubs, arguing it threatened the principles of solidarity and sporting merit in European football. His firm stance, coupled with widespread fan and political pressure, led to the rapid collapse of the initial ESL proposal. Even after a December 2023 European Court of Justice ruling stated that UEFA and FIFA acted unlawfully in blocking the ESL, Čeferin maintained his position, asserting that "football is not for sale" and that the project remained a "nonsense."

On April 5, 2023, Čeferin was unanimously re-elected as UEFA President for a third term, extending his leadership until 2027. This re-election came unopposed, highlighting broad support within UEFA. During this period, he has overseen the implementation of new formats for the Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League starting from the 2024/25 season, featuring an expanded league phase. He also announced record funding for the HatTrick program (2024-2028) to support football development across member associations.

Despite the approval of changes to UEFA statutes in February 2024 that would have allowed him to run for an extra term, Čeferin announced he would not seek re-election in 2027. He cited the need for "fresh blood" and a desire to spend more time with his family as key reasons, while also delivering testy remarks towards critics. As of July 20, 2026, Čeferin's relationship with FIFA remains strained. He deliberately skipped the 2026 FIFA World Cup final on July 19, 2026, in protest against FIFA's governance decisions, including the controversial lifting of a red card for US striker Folarin Balogun and issues regarding referee entry and team treatment. He also publicly criticized the high ticket prices for the World Cup and the expanded 48-team format.