Newcomer Ceferin sole candidate for UEFA presidency

Slovenian Alexander Ceferin became officially the only candidate for the UEFA presidency ahead of the elections that are scheduled for February 7, 2019 in Rome, according to an online statement released by the European governing body on Thursday.

Ceferin, 51, a relative newcomer to the world of soccer, has been the president of the Union of European Football Associations since September 14, 2016, succeeding the banned former president Michel Platini of France, reports Efe.

"Candidates have been confirmed for seats for the position of European members of the FIFA Council," UEFA announced on Wednesday as the deadline to receive the candidatures ended.

A lawyer by trade, Caferin's connection with football began in 2005, when he joined the executive body of KMN Svea Lesna Litaja, a small Slovenian Futsal club, where he remained until 2011.

Ceferin was also a member of the executive board of FC Ljubljana Lawyers, which is an amateur veterans' team, and later became a member of NK Olimpija Ljubljana from 2006 until 2011, when he assumed the presidency of the Slovenian soccer association (NZS) until 2016 and his rise to the UEFA presidency.

UEFA said that Ceferin was the sole candidate running for its presidency, while Hungarian Sandor Csanyi, 65, the incumbent FIFA vice-president, is also to run on his own for a second term as no other candidates have applied for the FIFA VP position.

--IANS

gau/bg