Paris, France (AFP)– Aleksander Ceferin said Thursday he would not seek a fourth term as UEFA president in 2027 despite the approval of controversial reforms that would enable him to extend his mandate.

“I decided around six months ago that I’m not planning to run in 2027 anymore,” the 56-year-old Slovenian lawyer said at a press conference following the UEFA Congress in Paris.

“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.”

Ceferin’s surprise announcement came shortly after UEFA member nations voted overwhelmingly in favour of a series of statute amendments, including a measure that would have allowed Ceferin to potentially stay in his role until 2031.

“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,” said Ceferin, first elected in 2016 following the downfall of Frenchman Michel Platini.

“I didn’t want to influence the Congress. I wanted them do decide (on the statutes) not knowing what I’m telling you today.”

“I have a beautiful life in football, I have a beautiful life outside of football as well,” he added.

The statute change relating to the presidency of European football’s governing body does not erase the three-term limit but stipulates that terms of office started or served before July 1, 2017 shall not be taken into account.

Ceferin was re-elected unopposed for a third term last April, just week after Gianni Infantino was re-elected as president of the sport’s world governing body FIFA.

However his suggestion he could run for a fourth term, which arose during an executive meeting in December, prompted UEFA’s chief of football Zvonimir Boban to resign last month.

The former Croatia midfielder, who was part of AC Milan’s successful sides in the 1990s, called it a “disastrous idea”.

The motion comfortably received the two-thirds majority required during Thursday’s vote, with England the lone dissenting voice among the 55 member nations.

Ceferin hit back at claims that his organisation, which has had to fight off the threat of the breakaway Super League project, was being torn apart under his leadership.

“UEFA is divided I’ve read, UEFA is fragmented beyond repair I’ve read. I hope that, I’m probably naive, the ones who claim that are a bit embarrassed now after this vote,” he said.

Among a number of other statute changes voted for as a block of measures, which the FA also opposed, was a proposal guaranteeing greater female representation on UEFA’s ruling executive committee.