Platini wins election as UEFA president

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Platini wins election as UEFA president

DUESSELDORF, Germany, Jan 26 (Reuters) - Michel Platini of France was voted in as president of UEFA on Friday.

Platini, 51, defeated the Swedish incumbent Lennart Johansson, 77, by 27 votes to 23 in a poll of national Football Association presidents at the UEFA Congress.

Johansson had been in charge of European soccer's governing body since 1990.

Platini, three times former European Footballer of the Year, becomes the first high profile former player to hold such an important position in soccer administration.

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Johansson v Platini - presidential policies
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CHAMPIONS LEAGUE:

PLATINI: "Italy, England, Germany and Spain should have three clubs each in the Champions League so that teams from other leagues that are not in the same financial bracket can compete with them on the pitch. There are not enough champions taking part in the competition. Yes to an open Champions League, no to a closed pseudo-NBA (America's basketball association)."

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SOCCER'S PROBLEMS:

PLATINI: "I will fight ... to intensify the struggle against the curses that threaten our sport: racism and xenophobia , various forms of fraud, in particular those connected with betting, the unacceptable side of the agents' profession, drug use and the potential use of football as a route for laundering dubious money. I stand for clean football."

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EUROPEAN LAW

PLATINI: "I undertake to do everything possible to convince the European Commission, European elected representatives and the political authorities in general that European law must provide sport with a protective legal framework."

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SOLIDARITY IN SOCCER

PLATINI: "The HatTrick and Top Executive programme (making UEFA expertise available to national associations) are heading in the right direction. We have to go further in our determination to define the specific needs of each association at grass roots and subsequently to establish a tailor-made programme with individually selected options."

PERSONAL STATEMENT:

PLATINI: "Being president of UEFA means accepting very serious responsibilities, guiding the leading sport in Europe. But it also means doing everything possible to ensure that the light of innocence and wonder a football inspires in the eyes of a child never goes out."