Čeferin remains UEFA president:”Football is countries like Croatia”

Marijan Kustić and Aleksandeer Čeferin (Photo: HNS)

The 47th UEFA Congress took place in Lisbon where the European football federation’s current president, Aleksander Čeferin, received a new mandate. 

The event was attended by representatives of all European associations who gave their support to the only candidate for the presidency. Čeferin will continue to lead the umbrella house of European football for the next four years.

During his opening speech, Čeferin emphasised that football is not only about the biggest countries and the richest clubs, but also about smaller nations like Croatia. 

He highlighted the country’s achievement of reaching the semi-finals of the World Cup twice despite having a population of less than four million. He also emphasised the importance of protecting sports achievements and ensuring they are earned both on and off the field. 

Čeferin thanked everyone for their support and acknowledged the exceptional responsibility he has towards them and the football community.

Apart from the election for the president, eight members of the Executive Board were also elected. Laura McAllister, Jesper Møller Christensen, Philippe Diallo, Armand Duka, Petr Fousek, Levan Kobiašvili, Andriy Pavelko, and Luis Rubiales received support. Hans-Joachim Watzke received a two-year mandate in the IO. Sándor Csányi and Debbie Hewitt were elected as vice-presidents of the FIFA Council, while Fernando Gomes and Bernd Neuendorf were elected as regular members for four years and two years, respectively.

The reports of the president, the Executive Board, and the UEFA administration on the work of the past financial year, as well as the financial report for the past period and the financial plan for the next financial year, were all accepted.

The Croatian Football Federation was represented by President Marijan Kustić, executive director Tomislav Svetina, and head of the international affairs department Josip Tomaško. Kustić congratulated Aleksandar Čeferin on his re-election and wished him good luck and success in the coming term. He emphasised the importance of UEFA’s support on key projects of the Croatian Football Association, including the construction of the national football centre.

Tomislav Svetina, Marijan Kustić, and Josip Tomasko (Photo: HNS)

Kustić also expressed his satisfaction that a proven friend of Croatian football, Čeferin, remains at the head of UEFA while Zvonimir Boban, a legendary captain of the national team, is his right hand. He praised Čeferin’s ability to develop UEFA’s elite competitions commercially while at the same time investing in the development of football throughout Europe.