Frenchman Michel Platini was re-elected unopposed as president of European football's governing body UEFA on Tuesday. The 55-year-old former European Player of the Year will serve a second mandate of four years, having first been elected in 2007 when he took over from the veteran Swedish administrator Lennart Johansson.
Since then his reforms have included the democratisation of the flagship Champions League tournament and new 'financial fair play' rules obliging European clubs to break even. "The advantage of this year is that I suspected I was going to win, so I had the time to prepare a few words," joked Platini.
"After my first election, I particularly thanked my predecessors and, taken by the emotion and a flush of nostalgia, I thanked all those who had accompanied me in my life. "Today I thank those who work alongside me and who have always supported me. I thank my friends from the national associations. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your trust." In contrast to 2007, when he scored a narrow 27 votes to 23 win over the incumbent Johansson, Platini's re-election was a straightforward affair as he had no opposition.
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