France's Michel Platini voted as new UEFA President

Germany-Football-UEFA

French football legend Michel Platini was elected on Friday as the new President of Europe's football governing body UEFA at the UEFA Congress in the western German city of Duesseldorf.

The 51-year-old Platini stunned Sweden's Lennart Johansson by 27 valid votes to 23.

The former French national team captain who took his squad to the 1984 European Cup title, was elected to a four-year tenure.

The 77-year-old Johansson had the top UEFA job since 1990.

The UEFA presidency election was marred an extremely bitter personal campaign.

FIFA president "Sepp Blatter" had openly supported his protege Platini in his bid to unseat Johansson as head of European soccer's governing body.

Johansson lost to his arch-foe Blatter for the FIFA presidency in 1998 after a nasty campaign.

UEFA is the richest continental football federation under the FIFA umbrella.