January 19 – Michel Platini (pictured) has promised that he will make a decision about his future as UEFA President before this year’s World Cup in South Africa.
The Frenchman, who became leader of European football’s ruling body in 2007, must decide whether he will stand for re-election in March 2011 for another four years as president.
“Possibly, maybe, I don’t know,” the 54-year-old told France Football magazine when asked if he would be a candidate.
“I haven’t thought about it.
“I have the feeling I was elected yesterday.”
Asked if he would make up in mind before the World Cup, he said: “Yes.”
Platini defeated Sweden’s Lennart Johansson, who held the post for the previous 16 years, by 27 votes to 23, the election in Düsseldorf in June 2007.
He was behind the controversial decision to award the 2012 European Championships to Poland the Ukraine in an attempt to develop the sport in Eastern Europe.
But Platini has courted controversy with his fierce criticism of the English Premier League and, in particular, how several clubs operate financially and has threatened to ban teams that are heavily in debt.
The former France midfield star, widely regarded as his country’s greatest ever player and who scored 41 goals in 72 appearances, also repeated that he was against the introduction of video technology, adding that the only way to improve refereeing was to increase the number of officials.
“The debate is whether we increase the number of referees,” he said.
“We’re making a test at the moment [with two more referees in Europa League games].
“If I have the agreement of the International Board, I will introduce five referees in Champions League matches straight away and also for Euro [2012] qualifying.”
Asked if Thierry Henry’s infamous handball that helped France qualify for the World Cup had changed his views about video, Platini said: “If Thierry Henry is a cheat, we are all cheats.
“We have to protect football and I don’t think new technologies have anything to do in football.
“To be more popular in France, I could say I’m in favour of video but I don’t believe in it at all.
“Video would kill football.”