Football
Father of the Champions League passes on at age 89
Lennart Johansson, who oversaw the introduction of the Champions League during a 17-year reign as president of European football’s governing body, has died.
He was 89. The Swedish Football Association said the former Uefa president died on Tuesday after a short illness, National Daily gathered.
“Lennart Johansson was our biggest international football leader of all time, no Swedish has had a similar influence on football in the world,” the Swedish FA’s president, Karl-Erik Nilsson, said on Wednesday. “He was deeply respected as Uefa president and vice president of Fifa, his leadership has aroused admiration worldwide.”
Johansson was elected to lead Uefa from 1990 to 2007 when he was beaten in the presidential election by Michel Platini. Johansson also served as vice president of Fifa but lost a divisive contest for the presidency to Sepp Blatter in 1998. Blatter rejected allegations of vote-buying, and the two never saw eye to eye after that.
Johansson said creating the Champions League to replace the European Cup was his proudest achievement at Uefa. It evolved into club football’s most lucrative and prestigious competition, with expansion that saw non-domestic champions given the entry.
-
Football5 days agoBanda, Chawinga make 2026 Women’s Ballon d’Or top 30 shortlist
-
Featured5 days agoPeter Obi, Makinde and the 2027 elections: Can unity really challenge APC?
-
Business6 days agoNigerian Breweries’ H1 profitability strengthens as revenue hits N804bn
-
Business6 days agoNigeria records N12.59trn trade surplus in Q2 2026 — NBS
-
Latest6 days agoTinubu’s US legal battle: Group questions silence of elder statesmen
-
Energy4 days agoBrent crude tops $100: What higher oil prices mean for Nigeria
-
Latest6 days agoAkpabio courts northern youths for Tinubu’s reforms ahead of 2027
-
Featured6 days ago2027: Rivers ADC fires back at Wike, says boasts won’t decide elections