The Independent: head of Romanian Football Federation could become next UEFA president

The president of the Romanian Football Federation, Răzvan Burleanu, could become the president of UEFA, according to the British publication The Independent.

Burleanu, 39 years old, is set to replace the current president, Slovenian Aleksander Ceferin, who is facing challengers within UEFA. This is due to his desire to modify the body's statute and secure a new four-year term.

Ceferin, whose term ends in 2027, proposed that the statute be amended before the UEFA congress, to be held in Paris on February 8, 2024. For this, he needs the vote of the majority, that is, at least 28 of the 55 members.

Ceferin argues that his first term was not a complete one because when he started, he replaced then-president Michel Platini, who was facing corruption charges and was later suspended and convicted. Ceferin's first term was only two and a half years, and he believes it should not be counted as complete. For this reason, he wants to remain at the helm of UEFA until 2031, even though at the time of his installation, he promised not to modify the statute, according to Euronews.

Opponents of this statute change are led by David Gill, a ten-year member of the UEFA Executive Committee, representing the English League.

“It is within this context that Burleanu is generating support. The head of the Romanian federation since 2014, he is viewed as an excellent and responsible administrator, having grown up with a connection to the game as the son of former footballer Gheorghe Burleanu. The 39-year-old himself was a youth player with a doctoral thesis on organisational management, who has worked in Romanian politics as well as on several UEFA task forces. Burleanu was elected as a Fifa Council member in April 2021,” The Independent article notes.

In September 2023, at the UEFA Executive Council meeting, Răzvan Burleanu, along with three UEFA vice presidents, among which David Gill, opposed the reintegration of the Russian U17 male and female junior national teams, after they were excluded from all competitions, in all age categories, due to the war in Ukraine. Even though Burleanu did not have a voting right, he gave a speech explaining why the Russians should not be readmitted to international football organizations and said that the FRF refuses to participate in competitions with Russia.

The same position was supported by Ukraine, England, Poland, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, and Latvia.