Aleksander Ceferin elected UEFA president

BELGRADE - Slovenian football federation head Aleksander Ceferin was elected on Wednesday new president of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), TASS reports.

Ceferin, 48, beat his only rival, UEFA vice president Michael van Praag, by 42 votes to 13 at an extraordinary UEFA congress. He will succeed Frenchman Michel Platini, who quit his post after being banned from football for four years.

"It's great honor, but at the same time a great responsibility," Ceferin said after the vote. "It means a lot to me. My family's very proud about it, my small and beautiful Slovenia is also proud about it and I hope one day you will also be proud of me."

The new president was elected for 2.5 years until the next regular congress of Europe's governing football body.