Michel Platini proud of UEFA’s efforts
Michel Platini: There was some fantastic football played this season and I believe fans around the world were very happy with what they saw. For example, just look at what happened in our club competition finals – there was so much drama as the titles of the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and UEFA Women’s Champions League were decided! Off the field, there were many challenges we had to face in order to improve and develop our beautiful game, and I am satisfied with what we have been able to achieve.
Michel Platini: As you know, the process was always independent, meaning that I never interfered or intervened. I followed the work the CFCB was doing, and I am satisfied with the outcome. Overall, out of 237 clubs assessed, only nine did not comply with the Financial Fair Play regulations. Regarding that small group of clubs, they all accepted the measures that were applied and signed settlement agreements. The fact no one appealed those decisions is a strong indication that they were fair. Our objective was never to expel clubs from our competitions, but to help them improve their ability to compete at the highest level in a manner that is financially sustainable.
Michel Platini: I suggested the introduction of Financial Fair Play after many owners of European clubs asked me to do something to control the incredible amounts of money they were obliged to invest in order to be competitive. The situation was clearly spinning out of control, and that is why we set up the Club Financial Control Body and the Financial Fair Play rules to help monitor and improve the financial landscape in European football. This was done with everyone’s support, from the clubs, to UEFA and of course to the European Commission.
I have to add that since the implementation of Financial Fair Play, there has been a huge decrease in overdue payables by European clubs, from €57m in June 2011 to €1.8m in September 2013. Regarding the total losses made by top-division clubs, these were also reduced from €1.7bn in 2011 to €1.1bn in 2012. We are on the right track.
Michel Platini: We have recently moved to centralise the rights for our national-team competitions. It all starts in September with the new week of football, which will see double headers of European Qualifiers being played across six days. This means more fans will see more teams in action. Regarding the Nations League, it is a way of increasing the competition between our member associations while decreasing the number of friendly dates. The format of the Nations League, which features promotion and relegation, will give more teams an opportunity to have something to fight for. I believe in it, and think it will be a success.
Michel Platini: Our aim is to develop football in Europe, and by expanding the European Championship, we will allow more nations to grow. If you take a look at the FIFA rankings, it is common to see at least 20 European teams in the top 30 in the world, so we will have a very strong tournament in 2016. As far as EURO 2020 is concerned, it will be beautiful to see the championship taking place in so many different countries with different cultures. It will be truly a EURO for Europe, and I am looking forward to the decision of the host cities in September.
