Nations League: UEFA Congress and draw: Relaxed in Paris?

Julian Nagelsmann and Aleksander Ceferin really don’t have much in common. The European Championships in the summer are of outstanding importance for both of them. Apart from that, they are very different football circles in which they move.

On this sports-politically charged Thursday in Paris, the national coach and the UEFA President are united by the certain feeling of relaxation that both can afford.

In the evening (from 6 p.m.) at the Maison de la Mutualité, Nagelsmann will be watching the Nations League draw more or less as a placeholder, which could bring great opponents but, as of now, no longer affects him due to his contract expiring after the European Championships. Ceferin no longer has to fear rebellion at the UEFA Congress (from 10 a.m.) after weeks of excited reports. As was the case for his hated friend Gianni Infantino at FIFA, the concept of term limits is being stretched to the maximum for the Slovenian.

UEFA, FIFA and the long-term presidents

The debate about Ceferin’s possible work at the top of UEFA until 2031 has a “legal dimension, but also a political one,” said DFB President Bernd Neuendorf to the German Press Agency. “Legally speaking, you can certainly take this step and represent it.” Politically, the DFB has “an excellent relationship” with the UEFA President, “who gave us massive support at the European Championships and with whom we worked incredibly closely and with trust,” said Neuendorf.

Congress will vote en bloc on several amendments to the statutes, one of which concerns when the twelve-year term limit for the president applies. With the current wording, Ceferin (56), who has been in office since September 2016, will not run for election again in 2027, but with the new one he will. A dispute had broken out within the association, whose executive committee was already meeting on Wednesday (2 p.m.). Ceferin’s long-time supporter Zvonimir Boban resigned from a high-ranking post.

Ceferin recently told the British “Guardian” that he was “very, very tired” and left it open as to whether he would even compete again. “I am not sure.” Tactics? The general assembly in the French capital would at least be a suitable opportunity to be asked and declare one’s candidacy. Infantino had his clarification of the FIFA statutes waved through by his council, on which Neuendorf also sits.

The unpopular competition

The DFB is particularly tied to Ceferin this year. The home European Championships in geopolitically difficult times must be a success for the association – economically and sportingly. Accordingly, the sports management subordinates everything to the tournament. Neuendorf is unlikely to hold contract talks in Paris with Nagelsmann and sports director Rudi Völler, who, like the national coach, only signed until after the tournament – no matter how demanding the Nations League can be.

Spain, Portugal and Serbia would be the most difficult constellation for the group phase of the tournament, in which the DFB selection has embarrassed itself more than inspiring the fans in previous editions. The final tournament, which Germany has never reached, will take place at the beginning of June 2025. Another tournament could then be more important for Nagelsmann: the new, gigantic Club World Cup in the USA.