Aleksander Ceferin will stand for re-election as president of UEFA, having confirmed this in an interview with the Slovenian daily Delo. Having served as the head of the European football body for 10 years, he justified his decision with a number of principled arguments.
Ceferin stated that his decision was not a direct response to the actions of Gianni Infantino, but rather a response to the fact that football is being pulled in all directions, and that it now needs unity and stable leadership. 'It is about what is right and what is wrong,' he said, adding that it is about good and bad leadership. 'It is about us not needing emperors in football and having a normal decision-making process,' he declared. 'Whoever understands this will understand. Whoever does not understand will not understand, or will have a personal interest in not understanding,' he concluded.
Describing his relationship with the head of the world governing body as virtually non-existent, he stated: 'I have no relationship with Gianni Infantino at all,' said Ceferin. He added that Infantino has not called him since the story about the attempt to attract private investors emerged, nor has he received a text or a proposal to discuss the matter. According to him, there is no relationship between the president of UEFA and FIFA. He stated that they are talking about a serious matter that needs to be discussed, but Infantino does not wish to do so, and is acting in his own way. Personally, he added, he has no objection to Infantino, as he is not interested in the presidency of FIFA.
Alongside the announcement of his new candidacy, Ceferin revealed an anecdote that happened to him during his holiday in Croatia. He went to dinner with his family at a restaurant, where the owner told him: 'You do not have to pay, I only ask that you stop Infantino.'
On the border, he said, something similar happened. The last time he handed over his passport, the police officer asked him: 'Will you stop this man?' 'I have never experienced this before,' said Ceferin.
