Platini to stand for UEFA presidency
French Football Federation (FFF) president Michel Platini has officially confirmed he will stand for election to become president of UEFA.
The 49-year-old former France captain and coach, who is already a member of UEFA’s executive board, hopes to succeed Lennart Johansson, who announced he will not stand for re-election next year.
“I have sent a letter to UEFA to tell them that I am a candidate for presidency at UEFA,” said Platini in French national sports daily L’Equipe.
“Football is experiencing problems at the moment and I want to sort them out. Football is not only a business. Football is the most beautiful of all sports. It is necessary to do all we can to defend it and fight for it.”
Platini was capped 72 times for Les Bleus and is still the country’s record goalscorer with 41 goals.
He was voted European Player of the Year in 1983, 1984 and 1985, and led France to victory at the 1984 European Championships.
Talking about his programme, should he be elected, he added: “I want to bring another vision of football but not make a revolution. I want to bring my philosophy more than a programme. I have done everything in football, I know everything about it. We must sustain that passion for football.
“I want to defend the game and its values. Let’s go to Brussels and explain what football truly is. It’s not only a business even if there is a lot of money involved.”
Platini also expressed his opinion on the recent retirement of Swedish international referee Anders Frisk, who decided to quit the game after he had received threats in the aftermath of Chelsea’s 2-1 Champions League first leg defeat at Barcelona.
“When we see what happens with referee Frisk, this is not good,” he added. “I would like him to reconsider his decision, it would be good for football.”
