Current UEFA president, Aleksander Ceferin, has announced that he will not seek re-election in 2027.

This decision comes after UEFA voted to amend its rules, potentially allowing Ceferin to remain in office until 2031.

English Football Association (FA) was the lone dissenting voice at the UEFA congress in Paris, arguing that leaders should have a maximum of three terms, each lasting four years.

Previously, presidents could serve three terms, but the new ruling means Ceferin's initial term, which began in 2016 when he replaced Michel Platini, does not count as a full term.

Ceferin took over from Platini, who stepped down due to a ban by FIFA for ethics breaches. Despite the motion passing with a two-thirds majority, Ceferin later declared that he would not stand for re-election in 2027.

Ceferin told a news conference: “I decided six months ago that I would not run any more. The reason is that after some time, every organisation needs fresh blood, but mainly because I was away from my family for seven years now.

“I intentionally didn’t want to disclose my thoughts before, because firstly, I wanted to see the real face of some people and I saw it.”

Critics of the proposal, such as FA chief executive Mark Bullingham, contended that the amendment contradicts Ceferin's commitment to promoting cleaner corporate governance in UEFA when he assumed office from Platini.

UEFA general secretary Theodore Theodoridis stated that Ceferin's failure to inform national associations of his intentions beforehand did not embarrass the FA.

“I don’t think so,” he said. “We have a democracy.”

The change is seen as controversial, and UEFA’s technical director, Zvonimir Boban, quit his role in January in protest at Ceferin’s presumed intention to stay on for a further term, calling the move “beyond comprehension.”.

Ceferin responded to this after making his announcement, saying Boban was aware he would not seek re-election and calling his stance a “pathetic cry.”.

“He could not wait because, after my disclosure, his whining would not make sense,” Ceferin added.

Additional statutory modifications, including the mandate for a minimum of two female members on the UEFA executive committee, were also included in the motion. Bullingham, along with delegates from Norway and Iceland, opposed the decision to combine these changes into a single vote.

The FA indicated its support for the other proposed statutory amendments. However, after the motion to bundle them together was approved, the FA felt compelled to vote against all the proposals.

“We requested and voted for the statute changes to be tabled separately, but this was not supported by a sufficient majority and we respect that,” said an FA spokesperson.

“We believe that it was always intended that a principle of three terms of four years should be the maximum period for any UEFA exco member to serve.”