Controversial vote sees the FA stand alone against UEFA after Man City FFP claim
The Football Association were alone in voting against a controversial reform that would allow UEFA president, Aleksander Čeferin, to run for an unprecedented fourth term.
All 55 of the continent’s 55 member states voted on the statutory changes, and while they were expected to pass overwhelmingly, the FA’s stance against Čeferin's plans is viewed as a significant and rare breaking from ranks in the wake of ongoing disquiet within the governing body.
The FA cut a lonely figure in dissenting against Čeferin. FA chief executive Mark Bullingham was the sole national federation delegate to hold up a red card rejecting the amendments, but the motion passed with 49 of the 55 associations holding up a green card in support.
While the Football Association of Wales was understood to have considered taking a stand, along with a Ukrainian federation newly fronted by Andriy Shevchenko, the majority of member states and committee members voted in favour of Čeferin's plans.
The amendment would have allowed Čeferin to hold the presidential office for longer than the previously permitted 12-year tenure... only for him to declare he was quitting anyway and that it was all a test.
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“I decided six months ago that I would not run any more. 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,” the Slovenian said at a press conference after the Congress.
“I intentionally didn’t want to disclose my thoughts before, because firstly, I wanted to see the real face of some people, and I saw it. I have a beautiful life in football, I have a beautiful life outside of football as well.”
The statutory change permitting Čeferin an extension on his presidency was bundled into a wider reform package, which included expanding the number of women who sit on UEFA’s executive committee (the current number is one) and clarification over the jurisdiction and consequences for potential breakaway competitions such as the European Super League.
Member states were asked to vote on the bundled nature of the package, meaning only one vote was permitted to pass all of the reforms. Only England, Norway and Iceland voted against the bundling of the reforms, though ultimately voted in favour of the final reform package. Ukraine opted to abstain from voting.
The bundling nature is believed to have increased the likelihood that Čeferin's desired term reform would receive widespread ratification, because while many federations were understood to be uncomfortable with this prospect, in the wake of ongoing turmoil from outside UEFA including the ever-simmering threat of a European Super League, a unified and pragmatic stance was viewed as paramount.
The FA’s opposition vote, while singular in its existence, is not viewed as directly in opposition to Čeferin but rather the principle of his prolonged governance. The vote is also in keeping with the view of UEFA executive committee body treasure and FA vice-chairman David Gill, who has harboured concerns that an extension could see European football’s governing body slip back into the old habits which defined Platini’s time in charge.
HAMBURG, GERMANY - JANUARY 31: UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin gestures during the SPOBIS Conference on January 31, 2024 in Hamburg, Germany. (Photo by Marco Steinbrenner/DeFodi Images via Getty Images) (Photo by Marco Steinbrenner/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)Even so, the votes cast at Maison de la Mutualite on Thursday were in overwhelming support for the changes. The passing of the proposal is viewed as a bizarre victory for Čeferin, whose move mirrored that of FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who encouraged the FIFA Council to rule last year that his first 39 months in office did not count because he had stepped in to replace Blatter, clearing the way for him to stay in charge until 2031.
Čeferin's reform arrives shortly after the UEFA chief made big statements regarding financial fair play (FFP). The Premier League's recent history has seen clubs found in contravention of profitability and sustainability rules (PSRs). Along with a separate Manchester City case alleging the club routinely broke financial regulations, Ceferin also opened up on UEFA's own incident regarding the current domestic and European champions.
David Gill is opposed to Aleksander Ceferin's plans (Carlos Rodrigues/Getty Images)In an interview with the Telegraph, Čeferin previously claimed that City were definitely guilty of breaking their own monetary rules in a separate case in 2018. Pep Guardiola's side were sanctioned at the time, being kicked out of European competition, before the decision was overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
“We know we were right," Čeferin said. "We wouldn’t decide if we didn’t think we were right.”
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He added: “As a trial lawyer for 25 years, I know that, sometimes, you win a case that you are sure you will lose. And, sometimes, you lose a case when you’re sure. You just simply have to respect in a serious democracy the decision of the court.
“I don’t want to speak about the case in England. But I trust that the decision of our independent body was correct. I didn’t enter into this decision.”
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