Aleksander Čeferin: 'Starting a new chapter'

It is with great honour, but also a great sense of responsibility, that I start my mission as UEFA President, a mission which you, UEFA's member associations, have entrusted me with, and one which I will dedicate to further protecting, promoting and developing football in Europe.

I know the last year was not an easy one for our organisation. It faced many challenges and threats, but thanks to the excellent work of the administration and the unity of the European football family, UEFA's standing and reputation remained unscathed.

It is now time for us to turn the page and start a new chapter together. My vision is clear and it focuses on putting football first. As we search to find the perfect balance between big and small, north and south, east and west, we must always protect the interests of the game we love and cherish.

During my time as president of the Slovenian Football Association, I had the opportunity to witness the significant impact that UEFA's education, grassroots and development programmes have on small national associations.

As I travelled around Europe, I also saw with my own eyes how this organisation has helped to build new pitches, training centres and football infrastructure across the continent.

I believe there are further opportunities for UEFA to make a difference, and we can do so by empowering our member associations to take on a bigger role in creating and delivering projects and programmes.

I am really looking forward to working with all of you in a spirit of cooperation and dialogue. Together, I hope we can lead UEFA into an era of stability, hope, balance and friendship.