ROME: Slovenian Aleksander Ceferin was re-elected unopposed on Thursday as president of European football’s ruling body UEFA, promising a bright future despite the “complex challenges” ahead.

The 51-year-old lawyer was the only candidate going forward for election at the UEFA Congress in Rome and was voted in by acclamation.

His election was in contrast to the situation when he took over two and a half years ago, with football in turmoil amid a corruption scandal that toppled his predecessor Michel Platini.

Ceferin told UEFA’s 55 member associations who elected him unopposed that “with unity restored” he was taking over with “fewer doubts and less scepticism than back then”.

“So, what’s going to happen now? That is the question many people were asking when I was elected two and a half years ago,” said Ceferin.

“At that time, football, at both world and European levels, was being rocked by the most serious governance crisis in its history and yet you decided to entrust the keys to the UEFA house to a virtual unknown.”

Having previously been largely charged with putting in place measures voted for under the previous regime of Platini and current FIFA president Gianni Infantino, Ceferin can now hope to really make his mark and implement his own changes.

“We are going to have to think ahead and undertake some major developments,” he added.

On top of his agenda for now is a battle with Infantino, who as FIFA president has been promoting a new, expanded Club World Cup and global Nations League. Ceferin is opposed to the projects.

“We must not allow our recent, short-term successes to hide the much more complex challenges that lie ahead,” Ceferin warned.

“The most dangerous thing we can do is rest on our laurels and bask in our current situation.”

Ceferin promised to work closely with world football’s governing body, and is also hoping to bring the 2030 World Cup back to Europe.

“With our unity restored, we will be a source of constructive ideas for FIFA, rather than one of opposition. And we expect the same attitude from FIFA,” he said.

Ceferin said there will be an overhaul of club competitions but reaffirmed there would be no Super League on his watch.

He said the new-look tournaments, to be introduced from 2024, would bring a “new dimension” to European football. Without giving details of how they would work, he did stress that they would be open to all clubs and that teams would qualify via results rather than by invitation.

“We will work hand-in-hand with our partner, the European Club Association, to design the club competitions of the future,” Ceferin told delegates after securing a four-year term.

“Club competitions that are in keeping with the times, full of excitement and intensity and open, which will bring a new dimension to European football.”

Published in Dawn, February 8th, 2019