Former Milan midfielder Zvonimir Boban, the Deputy Secretary-General of UEFA, has announced his resignation in response to a proposed amendment to the organization’s statutes. In a lengthy letter, Boban revealed that the issue emerged during the latest Executive Committee meeting in Hamburg and revolves around a proposal set for the upcoming February Congress. This proposal seeks to modify UEFA’s statute, allowing the current president Aleksander Čeferin to run for re-election after what was intended to be their final term.
Boban stated, “I spoke and discussed with the UEFA president regarding an issue that arose during the last Executive meeting in Hamburg. It concerns a proposal for the February Congress to modify the UEFA statute and allow the president to run again after what was supposed to be his last term.” This revelation sheds light on a significant internal disagreement within the organization.
Expressing his deep concern and strong opposition to the proposed change, Boban explained that he engaged in a dialogue with the president, who insisted that there were no legal or ethical concerns with pursuing re-election. The irony lies in the fact that in 2017, President Aleksander Ceferin initiated a package of reforms explicitly denying such a possibility, aiming to protect UEFA and European football from the “bad governance” that characterized the old system for years.
“This departure from those values by scrapping the most important reforms is astonishing and incomprehensible, especially at this moment,” Boban added, emphasizing that accepting the compromise would go against the principles and common values he firmly believes in.
In an interview with L’Equipe, Boban reinforced his stance, stating, “Being complicit in all of this would go against all the principles and values I have always defended. I don’t want to be a hero. I’m not making a fuss because I’m certainly not the only one who thinks this way. Over these three years, the relationship and collaboration with Aleksander and all my colleagues at UEFA have been excellent. I thank them for this and wish them all the best. It’s regrettable, but reluctantly, I am leaving UEFA.”
Boban’s resignation highlights the internal tensions within UEFA and raises questions about the direction and values of the organization as it navigates potential changes to its leadership structure.
