Leaders of the world’s sports federations are infamous for their reluctance to step aside. Many, FIFA’s Gianni Infantino among them, appear to equate the welfare of the membership with their own continuance in power.
UEFA, in all its 70 years, has been led by only seven presidents. Two died in office (Gustav Wiederkehr and Artemio Franchi), one stood down through ill health (Jacques Georges) and one was banned from football by FIFA (Michel Platini). Only one was voted out (Sweden’s Lennart Johansson). But worn down? That was the new twist delivered by Aleksander Ceferin when he handed congress his notice, three years ahead of time.
Several of the executive committee were not
