UEFA Presidents, Past and Present

So far, seven men have been the president of UEFA, and they've come from various nationalities and professions. All of them have contributed something to the organization.

The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) was created in 1954 to, unsurprisingly, unite all the different national associations in Europe. Today, we’ll look at some of the UEFA presidents, past and present, who have led this organization.

List of UEFA presidents

The main role of the president is the maintain relations between UEFA and its members. this includes FIFA, other continental confederations, governments, and associated international organizations.

Additionally, they need to coordinate the decisions of Congress and oversee the UEFA’s administrative work. So far, since 1954, there have been seven UEFA presidents. Find out more about them below:

1. Ebbe Schwartz (1954-1962)

This Danish soccer administrator was president of Denmark’s Football Association from 1950 to 1964. In June 1954, he became the first UEFA president. During his tenure, UEFA created important competitions such as the European Cup and the European Cup Winners’ Cup.

He was also one of the people responsible for moving the UEFA headquarters from Paris to Bern. He passed away two years after leaving office.

2. Gustav Wiederkehr (1962-1972): UEFA presidents

Born in Switzerland, Wiederkehr was a textile entrepreneur with several companies to his name. He joined soccer as a player first and then as a director of the Swiss Football Association, where he became vice president.

In 1962, he was chosen as the second UEFA president, and his term coincided with the international expansion of the sport. In 1971, he alternated his presidency with the vice-presidency of FIFA. But his career was cut short when he died in an accident in 1972.

3. Artemio Franchi (1972-1983)

Franchi was one of the most influential characters in soccer in Florence, Italy, where he was originally from and was twice president of the Italian federation (1967-1976 and 1978-1980).

He became the third UEFA president in 1972, and he held the position until his death, which, like his predecessor, was due to a traffic accident. During his time as president, he also alternated as FIFA vice presidency.

4. UEFA presidents: Jacques Georges (1983-1990)

Born in France in 1916, Georges was president of the French Football Federation between 1968 and 1972. He took on the role of UEFA president in 1983 and remained there until 1990. He died in 2004.

5. Lennart Johansson (1990-2007)

Johansson is so far UEFA’s longest-serving president, with 17 years in the position. This Swedish soccer administrator had a rather small-time soccer career but made his name as a director. He was president of AIK in Sweden and then the Swedish Football Federation (1984-1991).

In 1990, Johansson was elected UEFA President and then re-elected in 1994, 1998, and 2002. During his time in office, the European Union experienced tremendous growth and 21 new associations joined from the countries that emerged following the fall of the Soviet Union. He was also behind the move of the UEFA headquarters to Nyon in 1995, where it’s still located today.

6. UEFA presidents: Michel Platini (2007-2015)

The sixth UEFA president is perhaps the most famous and media-orientated. He began his sports career as a soccer player in France and retired 15 years and 300 goals later at Juventus in Italy.

He’s widely considered to be one of the best midfielders in history and also participated in three world cups (1978, 1982, and 1986).

In 2007, Platini was elected UEFA President at the age of 52, 20 years after his retirement from professional soccer. Along with then FIFA President Joseph Blatter, he was suspended from office and any activity related to soccer due to a corruption scandal within both organizations.

7. Aleksander Ceferin (2016-present)

The seventh UEFA president is a lawyer and soccer administrator born in Slovenia, where he was President of the country’s soccer association from 2011 to 2016. Ceferin (pictured at the top of the article) has also served as a representative for athletes and sports clubs.

People saw his election as president of UEFA as a symbol of renewal in the organization because he had an impeccable ethical record.

In short, the great history of this important organization has been led by some great figures. The actions of each of them have helped create the European soccer that we know today. Although it has its problems, it’s considered the best in the world.