The 48-year-old Ceferin, president of the Slovenian football association, defeated his only challenger the Dutch FA president Michael van Praag by an overwhelming 42 votes to 13 at an extraordinary congress in Athens.Platini was banned from football in connection with a disloyal payment of some 2 million Swiss francs (2 million dollars) he received from then FIFA president Joseph Blatter in 2011 for work done as a FIFA presidential adviser a decade earlier.Ceferin will now complete Platini’s third four-year presidential term, which expires in March 2019.Before the election Platini was allowed to make a farewell speech having been given special permission to address the congress by world governing body FIFA despite his four-year ban. "You are going to continue this wonderful mission without me," Platini told delegates. "I have a clear conscience, I have not made mistakes and will continue my fight in court. "The 61-year-old Platini, a former Juventus and France great, is now set to break his decades-long association with the game. Until being brought down by scandal, he was a strong candidate to replace Blatteras FIFA chief.Italy’s Evelina Christillin, organiser of the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, was elected uncontested as UEFA’s female representative on the FIFA council.New FIFA rules say every confederation must have at least one female member of the council.- DPA

Source: The Nation Bangkok September 14, 2016 09:33 UTC