By Andrew Warshaw
August 27 – FIFA presidential candidate Michael Platini will publish his manifesto in the next six to eight weeks and not, as had been anticipated, at his first session with the international media at the conclusion of Champions and Europa League business in Monaco tomorrow.
UEFA’s president is expected to be grilled on a number of issues, not least exactly how intends to improve FIFA’s image and why his relationship with Prince Ali bin al-Hussein of Jordan, who UEFA backed so publically in the last election against Sepp Blatter in May, appears to have irrevocably broken down.
He can also expect to be questioned on what is being increasingly regarded in Greece football and law enforcement circles, as UEFA’s support of Greek football’s criminal and match-fixing cartels.
According to a Reuters source, Platini will cite the future makeup of the World Cup, the international calendar, changes to the laws of the game and the role of football’s law-making body The International Football Association Board as key issues he feels need addressing.
One issue Platini will find himself having to tackle is goal-line technology which he has long opposed in favour of his preference for additional assistant referees. FIFA now embrace goal-line technology in its major tournaments and the Frenchman will have to acknowledge at some point that the majority of stakeholders globally are in favour of the system.
Platini’s proposals on the World Cup could include expansion of the finals from the current 32 teams, though he has railed in the past about the financial burden events of this scale put on host countries.
He has already overseen an increase in the number of countries at the European championship finals from 16 to 24, starting from next year’s tournament in France – and is also behind the revolutionary pan-European finals in 13 different European venues in 2020 though, if he takes over from Blatter, he will not be around at UEFA to see that through.
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