By Mike Collett

DUESSELDORF ) - Michel Platini was voted in as UEFA's new president on Friday, ending Lennart Johansson's 17-year reign in European soccer's top job by just four votes.

Johansson, 77, looked totally stunned as he realised that delegates had rejected him in favour of the 51-year-old former French great by 27 votes to 23. An aide of Platini told Reuters: "It was 23-23 until the last four ballot papers were opened."

Platini, who becomes only the seventh president in UEFA's history and the first to be born since UEFA was founded in 1954, immediately declared that Johansson would become honorary president. The Swede was given a standing ovation by delegates, many of whom had just voted him out of office.

"I'm moved, enormously moved, but I am happy," said an emotional Platini in his acceptance speech. "When I was a footballer, when you'd had a great victory, you received a cup and went on a lap of honour with all your friends around the pitch.

"Today is a great victory for me but I'm not going to do a lap of honour - because we need to get started. This is the start of a great adventure."

The outcome of the election was regarded as far too close too call and so it proved. The only serious controversy came on Thursday when FIFA president Sepp Blatter endorsed Platini in a speech to delegates on the opening day of the Congress.

Johansson was furious about Blatter's intervention and admonished the FIFA president when he made his final election speech just before voting started on Friday. "I did not appreciate the FIFA president's interference in the election process," Johansson told delegates. "With UEFA it is not he who decides the election but you, the delegates."

The delegates then did duly decide and endorsed Platini as the new face of European football. "It is a major victory," Platini told reporters. "The establishment was fighting for Johansson but I counted on my friends to help me. It took a lot of work to get to 27 votes."

Blatter is expected to have a closer working relationship with Platini than he ever had with Johansson.

"The result is no surprise to me," said Blatter. "I am happy I'll be working with someone who has the same vision for football as I do, not only as a means of making money but as a social foundation."

Platini's victory throws into doubt the future role of Swede Lars-Christer Olsson, who is UEFA's chief executive. Olsson is a close ally of Johansson and his position could be under threat.