Two months before FIFA's presidential election, UEFA President Michel Platini said change at FIFA is "important for football," according to the AP. Platini, a FIFA VP, said the governing body needs "new ideas, a new program" as FIFA President Sepp Blatter seeks a fifth term on May 29. UEFA "is supporting the campaigns" of all three of Blatter's opponents: FIFA VP Prince Ali bin al-Hussein of Jordan, former Portugal footballer Luis Figo and Michael van Praag of the Netherlands, a UEFA exec committee member. Platini: "Let's see what happens. Let's see the programs of the four candidates. But I think it's important for football that there is a change in FIFA" (AP, 3/16). The PA's Martyn Ziegler wrote Platini defended a ban on third party ownership of footballers -- labeling the practice "shameful" and a form of "slavery." Football agent Jorge Mendes, who includes Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo and Chelsea Manager José Mourinho among his clients, has "claimed the ban is illegal and will kill competition in Europe." Platini, who pushed FIFA to impose the ban -- said that "the ban would stop huge sums of money disappearing from football." Platini said, "Today, it's shameful to see some players with one of their arms belonging to one person, a leg belonging to a funds pension located who knows where, and a third person owning his foot. It is shameful; we're dealing with a type of slavery that belongs to the past" (PA, 3/16). REUTERS reported Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko "urged his country’s allies to consider boycotting the 2018 World Cup in Russia if Moscow does not pull all its troops out of his country’s territory." Poroshenko said that "he prefers to keep football and politics separate but that this was not possible when the Ukrainian club Shakhtar Donetsk are having to play 1,200km away in Lviv because Donetsk is occupied by pro-Russia separatists" (REUTERS, 3/16). REUTERS' Dmitriy Rogovitskiy wrote Russian Football Union Honorary President Vyacheslav Koloskov said that Russia will stage the 2018 FIFA World Cup and "will host it well," dismissing calls by Poroshenko for his country's allies to boycott the event. Koloskov said that "attempts to disrupt the tournament would fail, just as they had with last year's Sochi Winter Olympics after some observers objected to Russia's anti-gay propaganda laws." Koloskov said that there "was now a lot of money involved," adding that a country which qualifies and decides not to take part could be banned from the next World Cup. Koloskov: "FIFA is very strict in this aspect. I don't think anyone will be risking a boycott given the likely consequences" (REUTERS, 3/16). KEIR RADNEDGE reported Brunei’s football federation "countered excited reports out of Jordan" that it would be supporting Prince Ali in challenging Blatter for the FIFA presidency. Last week Prince Ali met Prince Sufri Bolkiah, brother of the Sultan of Brunei, alongside an Asian confederation exec board meeting in Manama, Bahrain. Positive comments "emerged from the meeting have been seized upon by supporters of Prince Ali" (KEIR RADNEDGE, 3/13).
