Karl-Erik Nilsson (born 6 May 1957) is the first vice-president of UEFA. Nilsson is also a retired football referee.
Life
Early career Nilsson was born on 6 May 1957 in Emmaboda, Sweden. He studied to become an elementary school teacher, a profession he practised during the 1970s. Nilsson also worked in the correctional system of Sweden. As a politician for the Social Democratic Party, Nilsson was the chairman of the municipal board of Emmaboda Municipality between 1994 and 2006.
Referee In the 1980s Nilsson started his career as a professional football referee. Nilsson supervised his first Allsvenskan match in 1992 and became a FIFA certified referee in 1994. He is best known for supervising matches during the UEFA Champions League (1999–2002).Kicker. "FC Chelsea - Hertha BSC 2:0, Champions League, Saison 1999/00, 6.Spieltag". 3 November 1999. Retrieved on 9 May 2013.UEFA. "Juventus 1-0 Arsenal". 20 March 2002. Retrieved on 9 May 2013. He was also a regular choice for leading international matches in the 1990s, for instance at the 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship.FIFA. "Match Officials for 1997 World Youth Championship in Malaysia Appointed". 21 March 1997. Retrieved on 9 May 2013. Nilsson's other official competitions included qualifiers for Euro 1996,UEFA. "Estonia 0-1 Lithuania". 16 August 1995. Retrieved on 9 May 2013. Euro 2000,UEFA. "Yugoslavia 1-0 Republic of Ireland". 18 November 1998. Retrieved on 9 May 2013. and the 1998FIFA. "Match Report - England - Moldova 4:0 (1:0)". 10 September 1997. Retrieved on 9 May 2013. and 2002FIFA. "Match Report - Cyprus - Portugal 1:3 (1:0)". 5 September 2001. Retrieved on 9 May 2013. World Cups. He also worked as a fourth official during UEFA Euro 1996.UEFA. "Netherlands 0-0 Scotland". 10 June 1996. Retrieved on 9 May 2013.
The Swedish Football Association After his career as a referee Nilsson remained in football and served as the chairman of Bohusläns Fotbollförbund until 2012. Nilsson was also active as a member of the boards of directors at the Swedish Football Association before he was elected president of the association on 23 March 2012 after Lars-Åke Lagrell resigned.UEFA. "Nilsson takes Swedish Football Association helm". 27 March 2012. Retrieved on 9 May 2013.
On 28 May 2023, he was appointed chairperson for the Sveriges Riksidrottsförbund, succeeding Björn Eriksson.
Support for the Russian invasion of Ukraine On 26 September 2023, Nilsson voted in UEFA for allowing again Russian participation in European competitions. Following the public outcry against his support for Russia in the Russia-Ukraine with this vote resulted in Nilsson being forced to resign as chairperson for the Sveriges Riksidrottsförbund on 6 October 2025.
References
External links Profile on welfussball.de