Michel Platini wages war on money men
By David Bond, chief sports reporter
Michel Platini has written to Prime Minister Gordon Brown asking him to help save football from what he describes as "the malign and ever present influence of money".
In a letter to Brown and all European leaders, a copy of which has been seen by The Daily Telegraph, the president of Uefa warns that the beautiful game is at risk from businessmen whose primary motive is profit.
Platini's comments come as Premiership clubs brace themselves for another round of multi-million pound takeovers by foreign businessmen. Arsenal are subject to a battle for control between American Stan Kroenke and Russian Alisher Usmanov, while Bolton, Derby, Blackburn, Fulham and Tottenham are all thought to be up for sale.
Since being elected head of Uefa in January, the former French international has been waging war on European football's established order.
He has assumed the role of football's Robin Hood, calling for greater equality between the haves and have-nots. He has initiated a wholesale review of the Champions League, which would see the Premiership's fourth entry place in the competition taken instead by the winners of the FA Cup.
Platini has also launched attacks on agents, called for clubs to pick more home-grown players and spoken out against racism and violence which have blighted European games in recent seasons.
But Platini's new attempt to shake up the game is the first time he has engaged politicians from across Europe at such a senior level.
The letter to Brown follows frustration at Uefa over the failure of the European Union to grant football and sport special powers to tackle financial wrong-doing and inequality.
Platini had hoped that a new article, to be included in the EU's imminent Reform Treaty, would include a reference to the "specific" nature of sport.
However, EU officials have watered down the proposals, leaving sport more vulnerable than ever to legal challenges from rich clubs and players who disagree with their attempts to introduce tough new regulations.
Platini's attempt to engage Brown and other heads of state is his final attempt to force an amendment to the Treaty before it is rubber-stamped in the coming weeks.
Many of his views are certain to chime with the Prime Minister who is known to be concerned over the amount of money flowing into the game and the way clubs are becoming separated from their communities.
"The values championed by football are a powerful source of social integration and civic education," Platini writes to Brown.
"The fight against violence, discrimination and doping, and the initiatives taken to promote fair play, all place our sport at the forefront of efforts to create a vibrant European mentality.
"However, a serious threat hangs over the development of European football: the malign and ever-present influence of money.
"Money has always been in sport and football has had a professional component for 150 years. But money has never been the ultimate objective of football: the main purpose has always been to win trophies. For the first time we may be entering an era in which financial profit alone will be the measure of sporting success."
Uefa had hoped that the European Union would adopt the sweeping reforms proposed in the Independent Sports Review carried out by Portuguese minister Jose Luis Arnaut.
These included new wage controls for clubs as well as stronger financial checks for owners, new regulations for agents and home- grown player quotas.
Those have largely been rejected, along with two more reports building on the Arnaut recommendations, one by the European Parliament and a white paper drawn up by the EU.
Instead, Brussels officials have now decided to adopt a 2004 article on sport into the new European treaty about to come into power.
However, according to Platini, the article doesn't go far enough. He wants Brown and other Euro leaders to use their influence to change the treaty.
"This article doesn't go far enough to protect football from the rampant commercialism which assails on all sides," he writes.
"Millions of football fans, for whom I speak, are calling on Europe to do more to defend our football and the European sporting model based on financial solidarity between rich and poor, which is the only way to guarantee the values we cherish.
"If I am turning to you, the heads of state of government, it is because you represent the last hope for a healthy and balanced future of European football."
CLICKY
By David Bond, chief sports reporter
Michel Platini has written to Prime Minister Gordon Brown asking him to help save football from what he describes as "the malign and ever present influence of money".
In a letter to Brown and all European leaders, a copy of which has been seen by The Daily Telegraph, the president of Uefa warns that the beautiful game is at risk from businessmen whose primary motive is profit.
Platini's comments come as Premiership clubs brace themselves for another round of multi-million pound takeovers by foreign businessmen. Arsenal are subject to a battle for control between American Stan Kroenke and Russian Alisher Usmanov, while Bolton, Derby, Blackburn, Fulham and Tottenham are all thought to be up for sale.
Since being elected head of Uefa in January, the former French international has been waging war on European football's established order.
He has assumed the role of football's Robin Hood, calling for greater equality between the haves and have-nots. He has initiated a wholesale review of the Champions League, which would see the Premiership's fourth entry place in the competition taken instead by the winners of the FA Cup.
Platini has also launched attacks on agents, called for clubs to pick more home-grown players and spoken out against racism and violence which have blighted European games in recent seasons.
But Platini's new attempt to shake up the game is the first time he has engaged politicians from across Europe at such a senior level.
The letter to Brown follows frustration at Uefa over the failure of the European Union to grant football and sport special powers to tackle financial wrong-doing and inequality.
Platini had hoped that a new article, to be included in the EU's imminent Reform Treaty, would include a reference to the "specific" nature of sport.
However, EU officials have watered down the proposals, leaving sport more vulnerable than ever to legal challenges from rich clubs and players who disagree with their attempts to introduce tough new regulations.
Platini's attempt to engage Brown and other heads of state is his final attempt to force an amendment to the Treaty before it is rubber-stamped in the coming weeks.
Many of his views are certain to chime with the Prime Minister who is known to be concerned over the amount of money flowing into the game and the way clubs are becoming separated from their communities.
"The values championed by football are a powerful source of social integration and civic education," Platini writes to Brown.
"The fight against violence, discrimination and doping, and the initiatives taken to promote fair play, all place our sport at the forefront of efforts to create a vibrant European mentality.
"However, a serious threat hangs over the development of European football: the malign and ever-present influence of money.
"Money has always been in sport and football has had a professional component for 150 years. But money has never been the ultimate objective of football: the main purpose has always been to win trophies. For the first time we may be entering an era in which financial profit alone will be the measure of sporting success."
Uefa had hoped that the European Union would adopt the sweeping reforms proposed in the Independent Sports Review carried out by Portuguese minister Jose Luis Arnaut.
These included new wage controls for clubs as well as stronger financial checks for owners, new regulations for agents and home- grown player quotas.
Those have largely been rejected, along with two more reports building on the Arnaut recommendations, one by the European Parliament and a white paper drawn up by the EU.
Instead, Brussels officials have now decided to adopt a 2004 article on sport into the new European treaty about to come into power.
However, according to Platini, the article doesn't go far enough. He wants Brown and other Euro leaders to use their influence to change the treaty.
"This article doesn't go far enough to protect football from the rampant commercialism which assails on all sides," he writes.
"Millions of football fans, for whom I speak, are calling on Europe to do more to defend our football and the European sporting model based on financial solidarity between rich and poor, which is the only way to guarantee the values we cherish.
"If I am turning to you, the heads of state of government, it is because you represent the last hope for a healthy and balanced future of European football."
CLICKY
The manner in which he celebrated scoring the penalty in the 1985 European Cup Final after the horrors which had taken place only hours previously said a lot about the man to me. I've never forgotten that.
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