Athens: UEFA has elected Aleksander Ceferin to succeed Michel Platini as president, replacing one of the greats of soccer with a largely unknown Slovenian lawyer to lead the European game.
The 48-year-old Ceferin will complete Platini's four-year presidential term through 2019, while the former France captain serves a four-term FIFA ban over an improper payment.
Ceferin, the head of the Slovenian federation, beat UEFA vice president Michael van Praag of the Netherlands 42-13 in the vote on Wednesday in Athens.
Ceferin's immediate challenge is to heal the rifts in European soccer created by the secret deal to increase guaranteed Champions League places for clubs from the powerful leagues of England, Spain, Germany and Italy.
Ceferin is the seventh president in the 62-year history of UEFA.
