All congresses are important, but some attract more attention than others. Such is the case with UEFA's 48th Ordinary Congress, which is currently taking place in Paris.

UEFA's supreme governing body is meeting following the recent setback to UEFA's interests by the European Court of Justice (ECJ), which ruled that UEFA had abused its "dominant position" to prevent any secessionist initiatives and the creation of a rival competition to the Champions League.

These developments have created an uneasy atmosphere among the 55 member associations gathered at the Maison de La Mutualité conference centre in the French capital. 

The resignation of Zvonimir Boban from his post as director of football on 25 January exposed a rift within the organisation caused by the manoeuvres of Slovenian Aleksander Ceferin.

The former midfielder, who played in the semi-finals and finished third with Croatia at the 1998 FIFA World Cup, expressed his "great concern and total disapproval" at the president's desire to remain in power for another 12 years. Matters of principle and values have led him to leave the world's most important continental confederation.

Michel Platini's successor at the helm of UEFA, elected in September 2016 and re-elected in 2023 for what would have been his third and final four-year term, will put to a vote an amendment that would allow him to stand again in 2027.

The proposed amendment to the statutes would mean that the three-term limit set out in the text would not apply to the first UEFA President, as it came into force after he had already taken office as UEFA President. 

In other words, the statutory provisions would not apply retroactively to his first term of office, as the start of that term preceded the duly signed reform that introduced the presidential term limit.

Another possible reform is to remove the age limit of 70 for election or re-election to the Executive Committee. Technically, this is a reform because it significantly changes access to the position.

Regardless of the name given to the regulation, it is clear and requires a qualified majority, not a simple majority like the rest of the decisions taken by the Congress (except for the dissolution of UEFA, which requires a four-fifths majority).

Therefore, in order to amend or reform the UEFA Statutes, at least two-thirds of the votes of those present at the Ordinary Congress are required, as stated in Article 18 of the UEFA Statutes.