Former UEFA President, has been confirmed dead at the age of 89. The Swede was president of European football association UEFA from 1990 to 2007, and also the driving force behind the formation of the Champions League, giving the continent’s championship a new identity and a huge revenue stream for big clubs.

UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin who confirmed that Lennart Johansson was dead, said he would be remembered as the architect of the Champions League. “World football will be always be grateful to him for all he has achieved for the beautiful game,” Ceferin said in a statement.

Johansson also served as vice president of FIFA, but lost a divisive contest for the presidency to Sepp Blatter in 1998. Blatter rejected allegations of vote-buying, and the two never saw eye to eye after that.