Nilsson gets new mandate in Sweden

Karl-Erik Nilsson was unanimously re-elected for a third term as president of the Swedish Football Association (SvFF) at Sunday's annual assembly.

"I am grateful for the faith put in me to continue leading Swedish football, which is a strong and an important part of Swedish society," said the 56-year-old Nilsson, a former international referee who had worked as a teacher and served as mayor of his home town Emmaboda before taking office in 2012.

Sweden missed out on a place at the 2014 FIFA World Cup, but Nilsson took great encouragement from successfully staging UEFA Women's EURO 2013, where Sweden reached the semi-finals, and from Sweden reaching the final of the 2012/13 UEFA European Women's Under-17 Championship and finishing third at the 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup. "We have started playing competitive matches at a new national arena," he noted. "We have fielded a national side in a new sport, futsal. We have won medals at EURO and World Cup tournaments, and we have staged the best EURO finals ever."

The president also highlighted the SvFF's charitable work off the pitch, explaining: "We make a difference in society with a social responsibility that brings joy to people's everyday lives."