London, 26 January 2024 (PA Media/dpa/MIA) - Zvonimir Boban has left his role as UEFA’s director of football, European football’s governing body has confirmed.

A number of media outlets, including the New York Times, have published what is said to be an open letter from the former AC Milan star, confirming his exit.

In the letter, Boban criticizes a “disastrous” proposal to amend UEFA statutes at next month’s Congress which would give president Aleksander Ceferin the ability to run for a further term in office from 2027 to 2031.

“I expressed my greatest concern and my complete disagreement with the method and the proposal itself,” the letter states.

“The president replied that for him there was no legal or moral problem and that he would without any doubt continue with this – in my opinion – disastrous idea.”

The letter refers to reforms Ceferin instigated in 2017, including the introduction of a maximum of three terms in office for presidents and executive committee members and barring anyone aged 70 or over from standing for election or re-election.

National associations will be asked to amend the statutes of the European football ruling body next month to scrap the age limit and crucially to amend Article 69 so that a three-term limit – where a term was started or served before July 1, 2017 would not count towards the limit. That would mean the first partial term Ceferin served from September 2016 would not be counted and would allow him to serve a third full term from 2027 to 2031.

“(Ceferin’s) departure from these values and changes in the main reforms are difficult to understand, especially in this delicate football time,” the Boban letter stated.

“If I were to accept such a difficult and wrong decision and turn my head, I would be going against the principles and general values in which I deeply believe.

“In these three years, the relationship and co-operation with Aleksander and all my colleagues at UEFA has been excellent — I thank them for that, I wish them all the best.

“I’m sorry and I’m sad, but I’m leaving UEFA.”

UEFA issued a statement which read: “UEFA wishes to announce the departure of Zvonimir Boban from the organisation by mutual agreement.

“Boban joined the organization in 2021 as the Chief of Football and initiated several significant projects in technical development, including the establishment of the UEFA Football Board and the Youth Football Forum.

“UEFA extends its gratitude to Mr Boban for his dedicated service and wishes him the best of luck in his future career endeavours.”

Boban hit the headlines last summer when he described new guidelines to more accurately measure time lost to stoppages as “absurd”, insisting the guidelines would not be applied in UEFA competitions.

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