Elections of the new UEFA president for a 4-year term will be held on 26th January 2007 during the UEFA Congress in Dusseldorf.

Johansson, who turns 77 on Sunday, announced his election manifesto on Thursday in London. His goals for the next four years include: to improve the corporate governance in the game, achieve better transparency in club football and for UEFA to take even more effective action on betting, match-fixing, doping and racism.

The Swede also wants a new European-wide system of rules in place to regulate agents and end the abuses which have been identified in recent years, with players betting on matches.

Launching his election campaign Johansson said that he had "a real desire to complete my mission." He had nothing but words of praise about his opponent, Michel Platini.

- "I look at my track record and I am quite proud of it. I have the support of the FIFA president, Sepp Blatter, for this campaign and also the support of many countries associated in UEFA, who have asked me to stand again” Johansson stressed.

Asked by journalists what he had brought to the game over the last 16 years, the Swede highlighted the development of the Champions League, which he said, had generated income of more than 5 billion euros since it started in 1992.

The launch of the campaign in London was an expression of Johansson’s support for England’s bid to host the World Championships in 2018. The English, who lost the bid to host World Cup 2006, recently expressed their desire to host the tournament in 12 years time.

Johansson’s opponent – the 51-year-old former captain of the national team of France, Michel Platini has been a member of the UEFA Executive Committee since 2002.

In his programme the Frenchmen promised to reform the Champions League. If he succeeds England, Italy and Spain will lose one place each in this prestigious club. According to Platini the limit for Champions League participants should be not more than three clubs per each country.

Moreover the Frenchmen supported the idea to increase the number of side referees up to four and voiced his opinion against the possibility for referees to watch replays of events taking place at the pitch.

Source: NEWSRU.COM, PAP, 2nd November 2006