Lennart Johansson

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Lennart Johansson

Lennart Johansson (born 5 November 1929) was the president of UEFA, the Union of European Football Associations from 1990 until 2007. Johansson is probably most famous for starting Champions League and for bringing the UEFA European Football Championship to his native Sweden.

Born in Sweden, Johansson lives in Stockholm and was the president of local football club AIK's football section until he stepped down in 2005. In April 2005 he was re-elected for a new two-year period as President of UEFA, and announced that he would seek another four-year term. ^[1] However, he lost the UEFA leadership election of 26 January, 2007 to Michel Platini.

While UEFA President, Johansson made controversial comments to BBC Radio Five Live commentator Jacqui Oatley at the 2005 UEFA Women's Championship, when he suggested that in sponsoring women's football: "Companies could make use of a sweaty, lovely looking girl playing on the ground, with the rainy weather. It would sell."^[2]. But Johansson denied sexism, and countered in and interview with The Times newspaper: "All I was saying is that women are more marketable than men. I would never want to upset or criticise the women's game." He had in January 2005 been quick to criticise FIFA president Sepp Blatter, after he called for women to wear tighter shorts^[3]

Johansson is also the vice-president of FIFA, and in 1998 he was a candidate to succeed Brazilian João Havelange as the organisation's president, but was defeated by Sepp Blatter.