By Andrew Warshaw, chief correspondent
May 24 – Playing politics in immaculate style, UEFA president Michel Platini gave a veiled hint for the first time today that his 53 members may not support FIFA’s reform process for cleaning up the game, due to reach its climax in Mauritius next week after two years of rhetoric and table thumping.
Addressing a press conference at the end of UEFA’s annual congress in London, Platini, whose organisation has already made it clear that it differs with FIFA on a number of reform proposals – not least age and term limits – said he still had no idea precisely what would be on the table.
“We look forward to (the FIFA Congress) in Mauritius but we still don’t know exactly what we are going to be called to vote upon,” said Platini.
“We have submitted our proposals and it’s up to the FIFA executive committee to decide which elements will be raised at the congress. You need a three-quarters majority to change the statutes. That’s very difficult.”
Platini also wasted no time defending the right of his member nations, representing the most revenue-generating and successful confederation in FIFA, to have more World Cup spots than any of the other five geographical regions.
FIFA President Sepp Blatter, in a keynote speech earlier in the day, appeared to suggest that Europe should give up some of its World Cup slots and hand them to developing continents.
Blatter has still not decided definitively whether to stand for an unprecedented fifth term of office – quite possibly against Platini – and seems at times to be overtly building up as great a support base as possible just in case he decides to carry on. His suggestion today that “those who have more should share with those who have less” followed support he gave earlier this month to Asia’s campaign for greater representation.
Platini, couching his response in language as diplomatic as he could muster, said it was not fair to expect UEFA to give ground. “In 1994 there were 15 European teams, now there are 13 so our solidarity and generosity has been forthcoming,” he said.
Platini also explained UEFA’s thinking behind the decision to enhance the Europa League by handing the tournament winners a Champions League spot as of 2015-16.
“The final of the Europa League is beginning to look more and more like a Champions League final,” he said. “There were some rumours that I wanted to do away with the Europa League but that is not true. I simply wanted to upgrade it.”
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