Football: Turkish official elected to leading UEFA body

By Doga Kirmizioglu and Mutlu Demirtastan

ANKARA

A Turkish football official was elected to UEFA’s powerful 17-member Executive Committee on Wednesday.

Servet Yardimci, the Turkish Football Federation’s First Deputy Chairman, was elected at a UEFA Congress held in Helsinki, Finland.

Yardimci was born in Rize, on Turkey’s Black Sea coast.

Previously, the 60-year-old administrator was an executive at top-flight Turkish club Rizespor and held several positions at the Turkish Football Federation.

At Wednesday’s election, 55 countries' football federations took part.

The committee -- 16 members plus the UEFA president -- is responsible for the running of the organization outside of a UEFA Congress. Its members are elected for four-year terms.

Reporting by Doga Kirmizioglu and Mutlu Demirtastan: Writing by Fatih Hafız Mehmet