UEFA president Platini re-elected unopposed

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UEFA president Platini re-elected unopposed

PARIS - Michel Platini was re-elected unopposed as UEFA president at the governing body’s congress on Tuesday, while FIFA counterpart Sepp Blatter announced he would not stand again after 2015.

Platini, whose first four years were highlighted by the Financial Fair Play scheme designed to stop clubs from spending their way to oblivion, was the only candidate to register for the UEFA election before December’s deadline.

His term will expire in 2015 when Blatter, president of world soccer’s ruling body since 1998, will call it a day, provided he beats Mohamed Bin Hammam, in the presidential election this June.

Platini, re-elected by acclamation and visibly moved after being given a standing ovation, would not comment on whether he planned to run for the FIFA presidency in 2015.

“Ask me in three years’ time,” he told reporters with a shrug.

The former France playmaker, who scored 41 goals in 72 matches, also declined to say whether he favored Blatter or his Qatari opponent for the FIFA presidency. UEFA, with 53 member associations out of 208, is a key player within world football’s ruling body with each national association having one vote in FIFA’s presidential election.

“I don’t control the European votes. We will see whether European football will support one or the other candidate,” said Platini. “There are two candidates - I’m going to think about this, consult with my vice presidents and the executive committee and see what position we will adopt.”

Four members of the UEFA executive committee were re-elected and were joined by three newcomers including former goalkeeper Borislav Mihaylov, the Bulgarian Football Union president who captained his country to the semifinals of the 1994 World Cup.

Poland’s Grzegorz Lato, top scorer at the 1974 World Cup with seven goals and president of the Polish federation since 2008, failed to get elected.

Platini promised to make international football his priority, saying he was shocked to hear two unnamed players say during the 2010 World Cup they would prefer to win the Champions League.

He also announced UEFA members had agreed to a new system of centralised marketing of television rights for European Championship and World Cup qualifiers.

This would guarantee all federations a set income regardless of which teams they drew in their group.

The Frenchman also warned big-spending clubs they could be barred from European competition from 2014 if they failed to meet UEFA’s new rules, banning them from spending more than their generated revenue.

“I will write a letter to all the European clubs telling them to watch out because in 2014 we will take decisions,” said Platini. “They all agreed at the beginning, they will have to agree at the end as well. Football is magnificent, it is great, it has never been so beautiful in Europe but financially speaking it is driving itself against the wall.

“Two years ago I got the bull by the horns and I’m trying to help football to not go bankrupt,” Platini added.

He was equally tough on crowd violence in Eastern Europe, especially Serbia and Croatia, who have been told they will be barred from European competition if they do not take steps to solve the problem by the end of the year.

“I’m sick of it, hooligans, vandalism, everything. I’m sick of the fact people can’t go safely to a stadium,” he said.


Reuters


Related Korean Article[경향신문]

플라티니, 유럽축구연맹 회장 연임 성공

미셸 플라티니 유럽축구연맹(UEFA) 회장(56)이 연임에 성공했다. 23일 AP통신에 따르면 UEFA는 이날 프랑스 파리에서 열린 이사회서 플라티니 회장이 오는 2015년까지 임기를 이어가도록 하는데 합의했다. AP통신은 “이사회에 이어 열린 총회에서 플라티니 회장의 연임이 발표되자 1분 간 기립박수가 있었다”고 전했다.

플라티니 회장은 UEFA의 수입이 큰 폭으로 늘어나면서 쉽게 연임에 성공했다.

UEFA는 2012년과 2016년 유럽선수권대회 스폰서 비용 등으로 5억유로(약 7974억원)에 달하는 수익을 올렸고, UEFA 챔피언스리그에 이어 유로파리그가 성공적으로 정착하면서 수익 규모는 더욱 늘어나고 있다.

플라티니 회장은 FIFA 회장 선거 도전에 대한 질문에 대해선 “3년 뒤에 다시 나를 찾아오라. 그때가 되면 어떻게 할 것인지 말해 주겠다”는 재치있는 발언으로 넘어갔다.

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