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Lahti elected Finnish FA president

Ari Lahti said it was a "great honour" to be taking the helm of Finnish football after his election as the new president of the Football Association of Finland.

Lahti elected Finnish FA president
Lahti elected Finnish FA president ©FA of Finland/Jussi Eskola

Ari Lahti has been elected as the new president of the Football Association of Finland.

Lahti, 54, who was elected at the association's extraordinary general assembly on Saturday, succeeds Pertti Alaja, who passed away last August. He pledged that Finnish football's development would continue apace. "The road will undoubtedly be difficult, but hopefully also rewarding," Lahti said after his election.

"When I look back at my predecessors, it certainly makes me humble," he added. "Being elected the Finnish FA president is a great honour for me, and I am looking forward to starting the work at both domestic and international levels."

Former Finnish international Katri Mattsson was elected first vice-president, and becomes the first woman to hold the post in Finland. This followed the decision by her predecessor and caretaker president Markku Lehtola to step down from the association's board.

The general assembly also approved the Finnish FA's 'Association of the Clubs' project, which will lead to significant changes in Finnish football at both administrative and operative levels.