UEFA president Michel Platini has expressed his sadness at the death of Juan Antonio Samaranch, the former president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), who passed away on Wednesday at the age of 89.

"I was saddened today to learn of the death of Juan Antonio Samaranch," said Mr Platini. "He was a great friend of football. The entire sporting family has today lost a great leader who brought the Olympic movement into the modern era.

"On behalf of UEFA and the European football family, we send the IOC and his family our sincere condolences," the UEFA president added.

Mr Samaranch served as the seventh president of the IOC – which leads the Olympic movement – from 1980 to 2001, when he was made honorary president of the organisation. He was Spain's chef de mission at the VII Olympic Winter Games in Cortina d'Ampezzo (1956), and at the XVII and XVIII Olympic Games in Rome (1960) and Tokyo (1964).