By David Gold
February 8 – Sauli Niinistö (pictured left) has quit his post as President of the Football Association of Finland (SPL-FBF) after being elected as the President of Finland.
Running for the National Coalition Party, Niinistö won the election in Finland against Green League rival Pekka Haavisto on Sunday, replacing Tarja Halonen (pictured right).
Niinistö, 63, a former Finance Minister, who was in office when Finland adopted the euro in 2002, is the first President from the conservative National Coalition Party since 1956.
He has had a difficult life, losing his first wife, to whom he was married for 20 years, in a car accident, while along with his sons he was a survivor of a tsunami which hit Thailand in 2004.
Niinistö had lost to Halonen in the Presidential election in 2006, but was appointed to his post at the SPL-FBF in 2009.
Niinistö will take up his position as Finland’s President in March, and vice-president of the SPL-FBF Markku Lehtola will replace him within the country’s football governing body, serving as acting President until October, when the next general meeting takes place.
During Niinistö’s time in charge Mixu Paatelainen was appointed to lead the country in place of Stuart Baxter, and he guided them to finish fourth in their group during qualifying for the 2012 European Championships, behind Netherlands, Sweden and Hungary.
They also came a creditable third during qualification for the World Cup in 2010, behind Russia and Germany.
Niinistö was also head of the SPL-FBF during the match fixing scandal of last year which led to the suspension of three times Finnish champions Tampere United.
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