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Platini platform favours smaller nations
FIFA & UEFA - 02 January, 2007
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Michel Platini's election platform for his bid for the UEFA presidency is one that could mean trouble for the older established European powers if Platini defeats incumbent Lennart Johansson.
Platini, the former international star and current vice-president of the French football federation, desires to make sweeping changes aimed at empowering Europe's lower-profile football nations should he win the Jan. 27 election.
Platini has a proposal to reduce the number of Champions League positions available to a maximum of three per country.
"Let's maintain the Champions League in its current format but let us return the balance in favour of national champions," a Platini proposal reads. "As part of this, let us introduce a maximum limit of three clubs qualifying directly from each country, to enable more nations to take part."
That could cut into traditional powers such as England, Italy and Spain.
Platini does not expand upon his plans but Scotland, the highest-ranked nation without an automatic group-stage position in the Champions League, could benefit.
Platini makes no mention of UEFA's strategic board, a steering group that brings leading club, national league and UEFA executives together to determine the future direction of the European body. Platini favours a bigger role for the executive committee, the ruling body of national associations that the top clubs have tried to push aside, of which Platini is a member.
Joining Platini in the 15-member committee are representatives from smaller countries such as Malta, Cyprus and Iceland.
"Give elected representatives the power to drive and implement sporting policy and let the administration handle the everyday management," he said. "In this way we will govern as a team, intelligently.
"Let's strengthen the executive committee as UEFA's supreme decision-making body and make the congress into a highlight of our democratic system, a forum for debate on the big issues facing football. Let's broaden the executive committee to 15 members to take account of UEFA's geographic diversity. Fair representation for all nations is a priority."
Platini, the former international star and current vice-president of the French football federation, desires to make sweeping changes aimed at empowering Europe's lower-profile football nations should he win the Jan. 27 election.
Platini has a proposal to reduce the number of Champions League positions available to a maximum of three per country.
"Let's maintain the Champions League in its current format but let us return the balance in favour of national champions," a Platini proposal reads. "As part of this, let us introduce a maximum limit of three clubs qualifying directly from each country, to enable more nations to take part."
That could cut into traditional powers such as England, Italy and Spain.
Platini does not expand upon his plans but Scotland, the highest-ranked nation without an automatic group-stage position in the Champions League, could benefit.
Platini makes no mention of UEFA's strategic board, a steering group that brings leading club, national league and UEFA executives together to determine the future direction of the European body. Platini favours a bigger role for the executive committee, the ruling body of national associations that the top clubs have tried to push aside, of which Platini is a member.
Joining Platini in the 15-member committee are representatives from smaller countries such as Malta, Cyprus and Iceland.
"Give elected representatives the power to drive and implement sporting policy and let the administration handle the everyday management," he said. "In this way we will govern as a team, intelligently.
"Let's strengthen the executive committee as UEFA's supreme decision-making body and make the congress into a highlight of our democratic system, a forum for debate on the big issues facing football. Let's broaden the executive committee to 15 members to take account of UEFA's geographic diversity. Fair representation for all nations is a priority."
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