Aleksander Ceferin: Uefa elects Slovenia FA chief as new president

ALEKSANDER Ceferin has been elected as the new president of Uefa, European football’s governing body.
Ceferin, head of the Football Association of Slovenia, polled 42 votes at Uefa’s congress in Athens, 29 more than Dutchman Michael van Praag.
BBC said that the 48-year-old succeeds former France international Michel Platini, who resigned after being banned from all football activity last year.
Ceferin will take on the remainder of Platini’s term of office, until 2019.
“It is a great honour, but also a great responsibility,” he said.
“It means a lot to me. My small and beautiful Slovenia is very proud of it, and I hope that one day you will also be proud of me.”
Ceferin has a background in law and has been president of the Slovenian FA since 2011.
England’s Football Association last week declared its support for Van Praag, who – unlike Ceferin – is a member of Uefa’s executive committee.
The Scottish Football Association said it would vote for the Slovenian.
“Aleksander and I have the same goal,” said Van Praag.
“We want a different Uefa, we want a better Uefa, but he wanted to do it his way and I wanted to do it my way.”
Platini earlier said his “conscience is clear” as he spoke to European football’s governing body for what is likely to be the last time.
World governing body Fifa gave the Frenchman permission to speak at the meeting in Athens.
The 61-year-old was last year banned from all football activity for breaching ethics rules over a £1.3m “disloyal payment” made to him in 2011 by then Fifa president Sepp Blatter.
“I am certain that I committed not the slightest fault,” he said. “I am continuing to fight legally. Just simply know that my conscience is clear.
“You are going to continue this beautiful mission without me, for reasons that I do not wish to come back on.”
Fifa’s ethics committee handed down an initial eight-year ban to both Blatter and Platini, who have always denied wrongdoing.
The bans were later reduced to six years on appeal to Fifa, then four years in a further appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
The issue is still under investigation by Swiss prosecutors.