A change of course emerges over the UEFA presidency

An unexpected turn is emerging at UEFA over its presidency. The Slovenian official made an announcement at the Top Executive Program in Berlin, attended by the 55 federations of the European body.

The development marks a contrast with his statement in February 2024, when he said he would not remain in office beyond February 2027. The incumbent president still has several months to submit his candidacy officially. The deadline communicated by UEFA to its member associations is midnight on 22 January.

The possibility of another term stems from a reform approved at the UEFA Congress in Paris in February 2024. It allows the president to seek a fourth term. The organisation’s statutes also provide that member federations may “propose candidates for the election of the UEFA president”, and those candidates do not have to come from the nominating federation.

The 50th Ordinary Congress is due to take place on 22 April in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan. Another question remains open: no alternative UEFA candidacy against Gianni Infantino for the elections scheduled for 18 March next year has yet been announced. The deadline for submitting a candidacy for that election is 18 November.