'Will Platini play the horrid little politician and do nothing?'

Michel Platini, the Uefa president, has told the FA that he will support a European bid for the 2018 World Cup only if the nomination is not split. This means that the first step for any campaign is to persuade Russia, Spain and the Low Countries to pull out. Tricky.

Platini, the former Juventus and France midfield player, could, of course, use his power for good. He could sift through the various propositions, look at logistics and cost to the economy of that country, consider the needs of competitors and fans, and employ his expertise to make a recommendation to Fifa, where he has the ear of Sepp Blatter, the president.

Alternately, he could play the horrid little politician and do nothing. What a disappointment he has been.

DEBATE: Michel Platini, Uefa president. Discuss.

Comments

[TONY]

I fail to understand the conservative elements who are against the use of video footage in football. Unfortunately lots of the greatest players ever - Cruyff, Beckenbauer, Platini, etc - are all in this non-progressive camp. Platini may not be a bad beaurocrat but he lacks (at least he's not introduced anything so far in relation to) innovation.

[okonski]

Platini can do one thing that other puppet-money earners-UEFA chiefs haven't done before. He could speak out against referees deciding the outcome of important matches - be it in the domestic competitions or the European or World Cup level. It could be a political masterstroke for him. Right now football is competing with American wrestling (it has already beaten pro boxing) on who should be the most cheesy-match fixing of sports.

[Pierre]

@Tarquin You got one point right, I'm (more than putitatively)French. But where could you possibly read any mention of racism in my post?
I'll (try to) keep the "Gaul" though.

[Henrik]

I am Swedish living in England which is a bit difficult during this Sven burdended era but Lennart should have stayed, he would never have resigned to the politics of the frogs

[Eamon Gavin]

When I think of Platini I think of 39 people dead while he danced around with the a European Cup, won with a penalty that never was.

[Tarquin Farquhar]

FOR Pierre:
It amazes me when someone [putatively] French has the 'Gaul' to accuse Brits of racism. Sometimes French people are wrong, sometimes British people are wrong. Criticism of a French person does not necessarily imply racism!!

[max]

Does this guy actually have any real power given the amount of money in the sport and the importance of corporate investments to the competitivity of clubs?

[David Wash]

Before Platini was elected I was all for him because the former President was an irritant but now I'm wondering, maybe we should have let him continue. As was rightly pointed out by one of the contributors, Platini is anti-English. He has not done anything since elected except irritating everybody around. Almost every innovation is met with a sign of dissapproval by Mr. Platini. I often wonder if he has any plans for developing the game or he is just there just for the sake of one day telling his offsprings that he was once the UEFA President!

[Max Iyer]

He could do with a few basic accounting lessons.
You can finance clubs through:
Debt (i.e.pay the % every year) or through equity (still borrowing money and shareholders want a % each year) or have a sugar Daddy.
There is nothing "immoral" about the options if the money coming in can service the payments going out.
One area the Premier league could teach some Spanish clubs a lesson about.

[Pierre]

European fotball ruling seen from the British Island
1/British fans are always right (excepted if they're scottish and rumble in England)
2/Continental organisations are always wrong (excepted if they're english headed but this never happens)
3/Among all continental leaders the French are always wrong (no exception to that point).

[Blah]

I never understood why Beckenbauer never ran during the election? Was it just because his old mate Lennart was still running?

Platini, got off to a good start but with time he seems to have evolved into a meddling troublemaker. Personally I feel Bobby Robson would be ideal for the role, although he may fall asleep and/or call everyone carl cort. Or maybe you fancy a go Martin?

[Blue Baby]

When I was a child, Platini was my favourite player. Still is, in spite of Nevin, Zola, et al. Having said that, I don't think it's entirely fair to place the blame for Wednesday's venue at his door. That was decided under Johansson's presidency. It is interesting that the first venue chosen in Platini's reign is Madrid - in line with his aspiration to make the final more family-friendly. Unfortunately the Presidency of UEFA will always be dependent on the goodwill of the big clubs (G14 having disbanded under negotiation with Platini).

[Matt]

Platini doesn't have that much power. Anything that changes the status quo of the big-club-rule will not get voted for, meaning that big changes, however necessary, are very difficult to bring in.

I've supported some of his ideas, such as a maximum of 3 teams per country in the CL, and his recent idea of trying to reduce debt, though I don't know much else about what he has done. But at least he's better than Sepp "blame the English for everything" Blatter.

[Leon]

He came in with some exciting plans - make the European Cup a straight knockout - therefore making all the games watchable again, rather than just the second legs as at present. I'm pretty sure Wednesday night will be a turgid affair.

But that plan fell by the wayside, presumably because it would cancel out the huge, guaranteed revenue stream for the massive clubs and threaten their ongoing hegemony.

Platini has done nothing to improve the game as far as I can see, maybe the real-politik of the UEFA set up means that he can't. But still, very dissapointing.

[Matt Nicolson]

Platini is much like those who preceded him and those who will proceed him. An incompetent mouth piece, a rent a quote buffoon and a complete embarrassment to the game. I have followed English football for as long as I can remember and have always been slightly amused at the way in which the governing body of European football treats the our game. Amused because it was generally hot air and bluster nothing more. But this dangerous man was elected as president with everyone knowing his agenda against the English game.

[Gareth Pearce]

Sadly, sporting governing bodies get the leaders they deserve. It is for this reason that we have been forced to tolerate the reigns of Sepp Blatter at Fifa and (previously) Juan Antonio Samaranch at the IOC. Platini is no more or less than the product of the organisation from which he came, an organisation of dubious ethics, of dubious transparancy, and of dubious leadership qualities. In this climate we should be grateful that we have an organisation as strong as The Premier League (for all it's apparant inadequacies) to stand up for English Football - look where it has taken the status of football in this country over the last 10 years.

[Jonathan da Silva]

I really don't think we should expect a bureaucrat to be any different because he is a great ex-player - indeed given Pele's ability to be patronised by some nasty people in his own country and Maradona's behaviour we should be grateful for Platini, Beckenbauer and Cruyff in Europe - all have been influential without bringing any disrepute on the game. Seriously would we rather Platini reduced himself to a tabloid whore like Best?

Indeed his plan to have players play non contact football he seems to have shelved so for me he is a improvement on what he threatened to be.

[Bill Best]

I don't know why you're disappointed with Platani. Had he actually had any gumption and real ideas about moving football forward and challenging the absurd ranting of Sepp Blatter, he wouldn't have got within a million miles of being elected president of Uefa.
The people in power in football from County Associations right through to the President of FIFA have no mandate from true pay to watch football fans or even those that play the game. When was the last time anyone asked your opinion on football? Who has even heard of any one sitting the FA Board? All faceless man in blazers who keep themselves as far away from real football fans as possible. Platini is merely a product of this corrupt system of governance.

[Erik]

We (the Dutch) made the mistake of voting for Johansson when Platini was elected. Ever since the nasty little man was installed as new UEFA president, he has consistently worked towards the destruction of Dutch football at every opportunity.

To me, it's a mystery why 2 or 3 cavemen like Blatter and Platini can completely frustrate the evolution process of football and more. Those living fossils are the only reason we still can't use footage to the aid of the referee, for instance.

[Steven]

Remember, they are laws, not rules, of football.

[Dino]

I remember reading, during his leadership bid, that Platini wanted to replace the Champions league with a straight knock-out of 256 teams. What happened to this plan? Sounds preferable to the current system where the financial clout of the big teams will always win out over the 6 group game. Leaving smaller teams, usually from Eastern Europe, in limbo over never being able to qualify further then the group stage but the cash injection meaning that they always have complete dominance on the domestic front.

[david b]

They say great players dont make great managers, well the same can now be said for administrators as he has been truly inept and a very poor for the European game up to now. He is so obviously biased against the english game that it is unbelievable that someone in the FA has not come out and said or done something.
Lets not forget that the rules of football cannot be changed without the English vote, so we should start using some of our power.

[Matthias]

I hope Platini just does not want to support the english bid, because he wants to stay neutral beetween different european bids. Otherwise it would be more of the same irrational anti english football thing which was started by a certain swiss hypocrite

[bill hainey]

Platini has shown himself to be spineless in his [uefas] refusal to take any action against GLASGOW RANGERS FC. for the behaviour of their FANS after the UEFA CUP FINAL. Also is any action being taken with reference to the sectarian chanting thant was clearly heard during the match?

[Ed]

Platini's main problem is that he is so obsessed with the 'bigger picture' that he ingores any of the details. He has many wide-reaching proposals, none of which seem properly thought through. His desire to redistribute income more evenly throughout Europe (which is commendable), completely ignores the fact that it is his organisation's tournaments that are largely responsible for such income inequality in the first place.

Likewise his keenness for other cities to share in the pride of hosting a Champions League final (commendable, in spirit, again) was overshadowed by the fact that an obvious visa issue that was hanging over his head for over a year, was not resolved until 3 weeks before the final.

Sifting through propositions and logistics is just not what Platini does. He likes to look at the 'bigger picture', but seems desperate to avoid getting his hands dirty with the details. And, as they say, the devil is in the details.

[David]

I agree. I was amazed this morning to see Platini, in his own slightly sumg way, reminding fans of Man Utd and Chelsea how grateful they should be that Russia have lifted visa regulations for Weds night. Not one mention of course about the additional financial / logistical burden that a final in Moscow places on the average fan.

[Bradley Webb]

He will undoubtedly continue his role as the most irritating President UEFA has known. It seems like every time he rears his smug little head, it's to insist on punishing someone (usually not French) or to criticize the English game. I absoloutely concur... what a total disappointment he has been, considering what an influential player he was.

[Dave]

Of course he should look at who would do the job the best. You only have to look at the fiasco of the champions league final to know that Russia would not be a good host due to the expense and lack of infrastructure. Spain have done it before and if memory serves me right it was a good tournament.
The low countries would also do a good job, but we would - I believe do a great job as we have the stadia the support and the infrastructure to deliver the competition. However Platini was always going to be the politician. He is the wrong man for the job mostly because he is too cosy with Blatter and FIFA which but for the IOC would possibly be the worst governing body of any sport.

[Andrew]

The only disappointment Martin is that you thought Platini would be anything other than a 'horrid little politician'.

[Dean]

Yes. Footbal administrators are just that regardless of their previous lives. In fact being a former professional footballer could be more problematic than it would otherwise be if you were a fan or an amatuer. Sometimes we'd like to think the way a superstar played the game is in someway reflective of their personality - this is not always the case!