Father of the Champions League and former UEFA president Lennart Johansson dies at 89 after a short illness

Former UEFA president, Lennart Johansson has died at the age of 89 after a short illness.

His death was confirmed by the Swedish Football Association.“He passed away on the evening of June 4 aged 89 after a short illness,” the federation said.

In a statement on the FIFA website, FIFA president Gianni Infantino led the tributes to Johansson.

'I am heartbroken by the news of the passing away of Lennart Johansson,' Infantino said, 

'He was a friend and an invaluable source of wisdom and inspiration.

'I will be forever grateful for having had him as the president of UEFA when I joined the organisation in 2000. Since then, Lennart has always been a role model of professionalism and, more importantly, of humanity.'

Lennart Johansson headed UEFA from 1990 to 2007, and he is most recognised for founding the Champions League in 1992.

In 1998, Johansson was defeated by Sepp Blatter in his bid to become head of football’s global federation FIFA. He was forced out of office in 2015 following accusations of corruption in the awarding of the 2018 World Cup finals to Russia and the 2022 edition to Qatar.