The head of European soccer’s governing body UEFA, Aleksander Ceferin, said on Thursday that he would not stand for re-election in 2027 for family reasons, even though an amendment had been passed allowing him to do so.
“The reason is that after some time every organisation needs fresh blood, but mainly because I was away from my family for seven years now and I will be away from them for another three years,” the 56-year-old Slovenian told reporters after a UEFA congress in Paris.
Last month, UEFA’s chief of football Zvonimir Boban left the body in protest against Ceferin’s move to support changes in statutes that would allow him to extend his term in office.
The English Football Association was the only member to vote against the amendment at the congress.
Reporting by Trevor Stynes; Editing by Alex Richardson and Andrew Cawthorne.
