Nils Lennart Johansson (5 November 1929 – 4 June 2019) was a Swedish sports official who served as the fifth and, to date, longest-serving president of
UEFA
Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; french: Union des associations européennes de football; german: Union der europäischen Fußballverbände) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs f ...
, the Union of European Football Associations. He served in the position from his election at the
UEFA Congress
The UEFA Congress (french: Congrès de l'UEFA, german: UEFA-Kongress) is the supreme controlling organ of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). UEFA is the administrative body for association football and futsal in Europe, and is on ...
in 1990 until 2007. In June 1998, he contested the
FIFA
FIFA (; stands for ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' ( French), meaning International Association Football Federation ) is the international governing body of association football, beach football and futsal. It was found ...
presidential election against
Sepp Blatter
Joseph "Sepp" Blatter (born Josef Blatter; 10 March 1936) is a Swiss former football administrator who served as the eighth President of FIFA from 1998 to 2015. He has been banned from participating in FIFA activities since 2015 as a result of ...
, losing by 111 votes to 80.
Early life
Johansson grew up in , a then newly built suburb west of
Stockholm
Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...
with his parents, his father Erik Hilmer Johansson (1884–1963) and mother Anna-Maria Johansson (née Pettersson 1886–1964).
As a child, he used to bike from his home to
Råsunda Stadium
Råsunda Stadium (; also known as Råsunda Fotbollsstadion, Råsundastadion, Råsunda Football Stadium or just Råsunda) was the Swedish national football stadium. It was located in Solna Municipality in Stockholm and named after the district i ...
to watch
AIK
AIK Fotboll (), more commonly known simply as AIK (), an abbreviation for Allmänna Idrottsklubben (meaning ''the public'' or ''general sports club''), is a Swedish football club competing in Allsvenskan, the top flight of Swedish football. The ...
matches along with his brothers.
He also played football for his local team Åkeshov.
Career
Johansson worked at Forbo Forshaga (now Forbo Flooring) from 1950 to 1990,
starting as an errand-boy and in the end becoming the company's CEO and chairman. From 1984, he was a president of the board of Tipstjänst and
Operakällaren
Operakällaren is a classic and exclusive restaurant in Kungsträdgården, Stockholm.Operakällaren in Nordisk familjebok (second edition, 1914) It is owned through the Nobis corporation by Alessando Catenacci. Operakällaren opened in 1787, and ...
;
he was also chairman and president of AIK between 1967 and 1980. Johansson was a lifelong supporter of
AIK
AIK Fotboll (), more commonly known simply as AIK (), an abbreviation for Allmänna Idrottsklubben (meaning ''the public'' or ''general sports club''), is a Swedish football club competing in Allsvenskan, the top flight of Swedish football. The ...
.
Between 1985 and 1990, Johansson was the president of the
Swedish Football Association
The Swedish Football Association ( sv, Svenska Fotbollförbundet, SvFF) is the governing and body of football in Sweden. It organises the football leagues – Allsvenskan for men and Damallsvenskan for women – and the men's and women's nati ...
.
In 1990, he was voted
UEFA
Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; french: Union des associations européennes de football; german: Union der europäischen Fußballverbände) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs f ...
President at the
UEFA Congress
The UEFA Congress (french: Congrès de l'UEFA, german: UEFA-Kongress) is the supreme controlling organ of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). UEFA is the administrative body for association football and futsal in Europe, and is on ...
in Malta.
Johansson helped found the
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competit ...
, replacing the European Cup.
Johansson supported Sweden's bid to host
UEFA Euro 1992
The 1992 UEFA European Football Championship was hosted by Sweden between 10 and 26 June 1992. It was the ninth UEFA European Championship, which is held every four years and supported by UEFA.
Denmark won the 1992 championship, having qualifi ...
,
and England's bid to host
UEFA Euro 1996
The 1996 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as Euro 96, was the 10th UEFA European Championship, a quadrennial football tournament contested by European nations and organised by UEFA. It took place in England from 8 to 30 ...
.
During Johansson's presidency, the UEFA headquarters were also moved from
Bern
german: Berner(in)french: Bernois(e) it, bernese
, neighboring_municipalities = Bremgarten bei Bern, Frauenkappelen, Ittigen, Kirchlindach, Köniz, Mühleberg, Muri bei Bern, Neuenegg, Ostermundigen, Wohlen bei Bern, Zollikofen
, website ...
to
Nyon
Nyon (; outdated German language, German: or ; outdated Italian language, Italian: , ) is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in Nyon District in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Vaud in Switzerland. It is located some 25 kilomet ...
.
In June 1998, Johansson contested
Sepp Blatter
Joseph "Sepp" Blatter (born Josef Blatter; 10 March 1936) is a Swiss former football administrator who served as the eighth President of FIFA from 1998 to 2015. He has been banned from participating in FIFA activities since 2015 as a result of ...
to become
FIFA President
The following is a list of presidents of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the world association football governing body.
Presidents Daniel Burley Woolfall, Rodolphe Seeldrayers, and Arthur Drewry died during the ...
; he lost by 111 votes to 80.
It was alleged that Blatter's victory had been helped by bribery involving
João Havelange
Jean-Marie Faustin Godefroid "João" de Havelange (, ; 8 May 1916 – 16 August 2016) was a Brazilian lawyer, businessman, athlete and centenarian who served as the seventh president of FIFA from 1974 to 1998. His tenure as president is the ...
. After the election, Johansson accused Blatter of financial mismanagement, and voted for
Issa Hayatou
Issa Hayatou (born 9 August 1946) is a Cameroonian sports executive, former athlete and football administrator best known for serving as the president of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) between 1988 and 2017. He served as the acting ...
rather than Blatter at the 2002 FIFA presidency election.
In 2007, Johansson was succeeded as UEFA president by
Michel Platini
Michel François Platini (born 21 June 1955) is a French football administrator and former player and manager. Regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time, Platini won the Ballon d'Or three times in a row, in 1983, 1984 and 1985, ...
.
In October 2007, he was appointed chairman of a committee for bringing
bandy
Bandy is a winter sport and ball sport played by two teams wearing ice skates on a large ice surface (either indoors or outdoors) while using sticks to direct a ball into the opposing team's goal. The international governing body for bandy is ...
into the
Olympic programme.
In 2001, the trophy given to the winning team of Swedish league
Allsvenskan
Allsvenskan (; en, the All-Swedish, also known as Fotbollsallsvenskan, en, the Football All-Swedish) is a Swedish professional league for men's association football clubs. It was founded in 1924 and is the top tier of the Swedish football lea ...
was renamed after Johansson:
Lennart Johanssons Pokal
Lennart Johanssons Pokal is a trophy awarded annually by the Swedish Football Association to the winning team of the Swedish top division, Allsvenskan. The winner of Allsvenskan is also crowned Swedish Champions.
The trophy was introduced in 2001 ...
.
Prior to this the trophy had been named after
Clarence von Rosen
Count Carl Clarence von Rosen (12 May 1867, Stockholm – 12 August 1955) was a Swedish athlete, military officer, and Crown Equerry to the King of Sweden. He became a member of the International Olympic Committee in 1900, and was credited for ...
.
Awards and honours
![Tribute to Lennart Johansson](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/36/Tribute_to_Lennart_Johansson.jpg)
*
Illis quorum
''Illis quorum'' (''Illis quorum meruere labores'') (English: "For Those Whose Labors Have Deserved It"), is a gold medal awarded for outstanding contributions to Swedish culture, science or society.
The award was introduced in 1784 by King Gust ...
, 12th size (22 February 2005)
*
![GER Bundesverdienstkreuz 6 GrVK Stern Band](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/60/GER_Bundesverdienstkreuz_6_GrVK_Stern_Band.svg)
Great Cross of Merit of the
Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (german: Verdienstorden der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, or , BVO) is the only federal decoration of Germany. It is awarded for special achievements in political, economic, cultural, intellect ...
(2005)
*
![Order of the Companions of O](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4b/Order_of_the_Companions_of_O.R._Tambo_%28ribbon_bar%29.gif)
Supreme Companion of the
Order of the Companions of O. R. Tambo
The Order of the Companions of O. R. Tambo is a South African honour. It was instituted on 6 December 2002, and is granted by the President of South Africa to foreign citizens who have promoted South African interests and aspirations through c ...
(29 October 2004)
*
![HUN Order of Merit of the Hungarian Rep (civil) 3class BAR](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b0/HUN_Order_of_Merit_of_the_Hungarian_Rep_%28civil%29_3class_BAR.svg)
Commander's Cross of the
Hungarian Order of Merit
The Hungarian Order of Merit ( hu, Magyar Érdemrend) is the fourth highest State Order of Hungary. Founded in 1991, the order is a revival of an original order founded in 1946 and abolished in 1949. Its origins, however, can be traced to the ...
(22 March 2006)
*
![ISL Icelandic Order of the Falcon - Knight BAR](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a4/ISL_Icelandic_Order_of_the_Falcon_-_Knight_BAR.png)
Knight's Cross of the
Order of the Falcon
The Order of the Falcon ( is, Hin íslenska fálkaorða) is the only order of chivalry in Iceland, founded by King Christian X of Denmark and Iceland on 3 July 1921. The award is awarded for merit for Iceland and humanity and has five degrees. N ...
(18 November 1997)
*
![ROU Order For Merit 2000 Officer BAR](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/20/ROU_Order_For_Merit_2000_Officer_BAR.svg)
Officer of the
National Order of Merit (August 2002)
*
![Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise 1st 2nd and 3rd Class of Ukraine](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/33/Order_of_Prince_Yaroslav_the_Wise_1st_2nd_and_3rd_Class_of_Ukraine.png)
Third Class of the
Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise
The Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise ( uk, Орден князя Ярослава Мудрого) is an award of Ukraine. It is awarded for distinguished services to the state and people of the Ukrainian nation in the field of state building, ...
*
![Order of Merit 1st Class of Ukraine](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/19/Order_of_Merit_1st_Class_of_Ukraine.png)
First Class of the
Order of Merit
The Order of Merit (french: link=no, Ordre du Mérite) is an order of merit for the Commonwealth realms, recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or for the promotion of culture. Established in 1902 by K ...
*
![Order of Merit 3rd Class of Ukraine](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fc/Order_of_Merit_3rd_Class_of_Ukraine.png)
Third Class of the
Order of Merit
The Order of Merit (french: link=no, Ordre du Mérite) is an order of merit for the Commonwealth realms, recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or for the promotion of culture. Established in 1902 by K ...
*
![OrdenDostik](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/14/OrdenDostik.png)
Second Class of the
Order of Friendship
The Order of Friendship (russian: Орден Дружбы, ') is a state decoration of the Russian Federation established by Boris Yeltsin by presidential decree 442 of 2 March 1994 to reward Russian and foreign nationals whose work, deeds a ...
(2005)
*
Order of Friendship
The Order of Friendship (russian: Орден Дружбы, ') is a state decoration of the Russian Federation established by Boris Yeltsin by presidential decree 442 of 2 March 1994 to reward Russian and foreign nationals whose work, deeds a ...
*
CAF's Order of Merit
* Unidentified Red Cross Medal
Personal life
Johansson was married twice and had five children. He was married to his first wife, Anna-Stina Eriksson (1922–2005), from 1953 to 1980, with whom he had two daughters. His second marriage was with Lola Sidenvall (1929–2017). In December 2017, he became a widower after his wife Lola died.
In 2008, he suffered a severe cerebral hemorrhage, and after that his physical health began to fail. Johansson died on 4 June 2019, aged 89.
Notes
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johansson, Lennart
1929 births
2019 deaths
Swedish sports executives and administrators
Swedish bandy managers
Football in Sweden
Presidents of UEFA
Swedish Christians
Commanders Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
Recipients of the Order of the Companions of O. R. Tambo
AIK Fotboll directors and chairmen
Chairmen of the Swedish Football Association
Sportspeople from Stockholm
Members of the UEFA Executive Committee
Recipients of the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise, 3rd class
Recipients of the Illis quorum