FOOTBALL

MARIJAN KUSTIĆ ELECTED TO THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF UEFA

tsg_news April 3, 2025

The president of the Croatian Football Federation, Marijan Kustić, was elected to the Executive Committee of the European Football Federation UEFA) at the 49th Congress of the umbrella organization of European football, held in Belgrade.

In an important moment for Croatian football, Kustić was elected to UEFA’s highest body in the first round with 42 votes from UEFA member countries (55). His mandate in the Executive Committee will last four years. The president of HNS was among 11 candidates for seven positions for a full, four-year term in the UEFA EC.

Frank Paauw (Netherlands, 49 votes), Gabriele Gravina (Italy, 48), Hans-Joachim Watzke (Germany, 48), Ari Lahti (Finland, 41), Aivar Pohlak (Estonia, 37), and Armen Melikbekyan (Armenia, 29) were also elected to the Executive Committee, and Lisa Klaveness was unanimously elected.

Rafael Louzán (Spain) and Moshe Zuares (Israel) received two-year terms in the Executive Committee. Claudius Schäfer, ratified as the representative of the European leagues on the Executive Board, also received a four-year mandate.

Răzvan Burleanu (Romania), Georgios Koumas (Cyprus), Bernd Neuendorf (Germany), Dejan Savićević (Montenegro), and Pascale Van Damme (Belgium), as the only female member, received a new four-year mandate in the FIFA Council.

Kustić’s election to the UEFA Executive Committee, the body that decides on all key issues of European football, is an excellent recognition of Croatian football and HNS and a kind of crowning effort of the Croatian Football Association in the context of work in UEFA bodies and relations with other associations.

Along with President Kustić, General Secretary Tomislav Svetina and Head of International Department Josip Tomaško officially represented the Croatian Football Association at the UEFA Congress. President Kustić was supported at the Congress by a numerous HNS delegation, which included vice-president Nenad Horvatić, head of the competition department Neven Šprajcer, technical director of the A and U-21 national team Stipe Pletikosa, operational assistant in the president’s office Blago Jakovljević, spokesman Tomislav Pacak and official photographer Drago Sopta, as well as the head of licensing in HNS, Ivančica Sudac, in the capacity of first vice-president of the UEFA Licensing Commission clubs.

The president of UEFA, Aleksander Čeferin, emphasized unity as an essential factor in action.

We stand here together today not because we are the same, but because we share the same passion for football. We are not just fans of the great game, but we are here as people responsible for the future of football, which is a mirror of society. Behind us is the brilliant EURO 2024, a festival of togetherness, competition, inclusiveness, and celebration. Politics may build walls, but football builds bridges. Everywhere we turn today, we see divisions. When we hear it every day, it is easy to believe it. But that division is an illusion, It is a tactic used by those who want to divide us, for political or financial benefits. We respond with one united voice. We respect, we encourage, and we unite. I want to thank all the national associations because you are the backbone of European football. – Aleksandar Čeferin, UEFA President

Gianni Infantino, president of the international football federation FIFA, was also a guest at the Congress in Belgrade.

It is always an honor to speak at the UEFA Congress, where I have worked for many years, and I try to apply what I have learned from successful European football to world football. I want to focus on three topics today. The first is unity because football unites people. We should always use football to unite people and nations, especially in today’s world. The second topic is competitions, such as the Club World Cup, which will allow players from many countries to become world champions. Finally, I wish to touch on women’s football – I wish the host Switzerland a successful Women’s Euro, as well as UEFA and all the participants. We must try to invest even more in women’s football; that should be your priority and ours – Gianni Infantino, FIFA President

At the Congress, the financial statements and audit report for the financial year 2023/24 were accepted, as was the accepted financial plan for the financial year 2025/26.

I thank the European football family for their support, which I see as a great recognition of Croatian football and our association. With great results, we have earned the noticeable respect of all member countries, and it will be a true honor for me to represent our football in the UEFA Executive Committee. I am glad that my fellow presidents of the association recognized the program that I presented to them, which shares the values of the current management led by President Čeferin, such as togetherness, solidarity, respect and equality. I would like to thank all the associates in the Association and the CFF Executive Board for their support, this is a significant international and diplomatic victory for our Association because we will be at the table where the most important issues of European football are decided. I look forward to working with President Čeferin, who has confirmed himself not only as a friend of Croatian football, but as a protector of the European model of sport in which we all firmly believe – Marijan Kustić

SOURCE: Croatian Football Federation

Tagged:CROATIA UEFA