FIGC president Gabriele Gravina has been appointed vice-president of UEFA at the end of today’s executive committee meeting, which took place after the re-election of Aleksander Ceferin to the presidency.
The news was announced by the European football confederation in a statement, which also stated that the other new vice-president is Laura McAllister from Wales.
Gravina and McAllister take over from Portuguese Fernando Gomes (who will be FIFA vice-president) and Hungarian Sándor Csányi.
UEFA president Ceferin was also re-elected to the role and took the opportunity to address the UEFA Congress on the issues that he sees as a challenge for European football:
“Football has changed, it is a mirror of society. Clubs take risks for investments, fans lose their identity. We are running against galloping globalisation and let’s not forget all that this implies, benefits and risks. European football is already global, we are paying the price. There has been an attempt to create a new model compared to the one we are familiar with. But our model is based on sporting merit, always, Merit cannot be an acquired, it can only be earned, season after season. On this continent there is no room for cartels.”
“We believe we have made it clear, all together. Football is part of our roots, it is the last public asset that should be privatised. It belongs to all those who love this wonderful sport. We must ensure that the interest of everyone prevails over that of the private sector. I will not go into the details of this sick plan carried out by three clubs, two financiers and a spokesman. Those who have promoted this project are claiming that they want to save football. It is truly incredible that no one has shown any shame.”
“In the space of a few months, the project called Superleague has been turned into a Red Riding Hood protagonist, a wolf disguised as a grandmother who is ready to eat you. But is anyone here stupid? I don’t think so.
“There are two opposing visions of the world, and of football: selfishness versus solidarity, narrow-mindedness versus benevolence, private interests versus altruism, shameful lies versus the truth. It is cartels above meritocracy and democracy, it is money above trophies. If there is one thing we must not forget, it is that no one must think that football is not the people’s sport. We must dispel the myth that the industrialisation of football is an inevitable process.”
