By Andrew Warshaw
May 2 – Delegates from UEFA’s 54 member countries are gathering in Budapest for Tuesday’s annual congress with the likehihood of the summit being one of the shortest on record.
In the absence of banned UEFA president Michel Platini, who spent eight hours before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) last Friday trying to clear his name, no far-reaching decisions are expected to be taken, with the organisation’s leadership in limbo and a thin agenda on the table.
Getting to grips with how and when to elect Platini’s successor if the worst comes to the worst will be subject of behind-the-scenes private discussions. UEFA’s senior administration has been at pains to convince anyone who will listen that it is business as usual and that day-to-day activities are progressing as if nothing has happened.
But that doesn’t take account of the fact that five weeks out from the start of Euro 2016, UEFA has no working president and an interim secretary general. UEFA’s credibility is hardly enhanced either by the fact that the caretaker in charge is Spanish veteran Angel Maria Villar, sanctioned six months ago by FIFA’s ethics committee for failing to co-operate with investigations into the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bidding processes.
Without a president or long-term general secretary – Theodore Theodoridis is in temporary charge until a full-time successor to Gianni Infantino is in place – the Congress seems unlikely to seriously tackle any major issues such as changing the format of the Champions League.
The main agenda item in Budapest is whether to admit Kosovo as UEFA’s 55th member, likely to be fiercely resisted by Serbia and generate heated debate.
Recognised by the United Nations, Kosovan authorities have been chipping away for the best part of two years to try and become a fully-fledged footballing nation. Although they have been playing friendly matches, competitive senior tournament fixtures have so far been denied them. But that may be about to change. If approved by the majority of European nations in Budapest, Kosovo could even be fast-tracked into the 2018 World Cup qualifying programme.
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