By David Owen
October 18 – UEFA President Michel Platini will go to Rome next week to discuss the body’s Financial Fair Play (FFP) initiative with European Union (EU) sports ministers.
The informal meeting, which will also be attended by Androulla Vassiliou, the Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth with whom Platini recently signed a wide-ranging ‘Arrangement for Cooperation’ between the European Commission (EC) and UEFA, has been organised by the current Italian presidency of the EU. Key topics are said to include sport and social inclusion, FFP and the need to promote better governance in sport.
Platini and Vassiliou are to take part in a discussion on FFP, which, while not universally popular, was endorsed by the EC/UEFA document as contributing to the “healthy growth” of sport in the continent.
Vassiliou also intends to underline the importance of sport in society and the role it plays in encouraging social inclusion, “especially among immigrants and disadvantaged groups”.
Coming so soon after the Arrangement for Cooperation, next week’s gathering is set further to enhance UEFA’s credentials as a sports body Brussels thinks it can do business with.
It may also give rise to speculation that the European football body is seeking to exploit FIFA’s widespread lack of credibility to increase its own sphere of influence over areas such as club finances, third-party ownership (TPO) and player transfers.
Contact the writer of this story at moc.l1734876295labto1734876295ofdlr1734876295owedi1734876295sni@n1734876295ewo.d1734876295ivad1734876295