The race to be the next UEFA president "will begin in July, with elections scheduled for mid-September," according to the PA. A meeting of UEFA’s exec committee in Basel, Switzerland "drew up the timescale to find a replacement for the disgraced Michel Platini," who is currently suspended from all football-related activity for four years by FIFA. Prospective "candidates to assume his position have to submit their applications" by July 20, with the final vote taking place at an extraordinary UEFA congress on Sept. 14 in Athens. However, despite Platini’s ban "he still casts a shadow over European football’s governing body," with interim UEFA General Secretary Theodore Theodoridis admitting the Frenchman "cannot be considered an enemy." Theodoridis did not rule out Platini being extended an invitation to Euro 2016. He said, "How can a person who has served UEFA for many years be considered an enemy?" The Greek "initially raised the possibility Platini could be invited" by UEFA before "back-tracking slightly." He said, "As it stands it is not completely clear and before the Euros begin we will find out exactly what the sanction means and what the person's rights are." After "being pressed on that matter later in the press conference Theodoridis softened his stance." Theodoridis: "I never said we were inviting him, I never said we were not inviting him. We are exploring" (PA, 5/18).
STEPPING IN: TEN SPORT reported UEFA announced that Spanish Football Federation President Ángel María Villar "will award the Euro 2016 trophy to the tournament winners in the absence of Michel Platini." Platini "would normally have awarded the trophy in Paris on July 10." However, as "first vice-president" of UEFA, Villar will now step in (TEN SPORT, 5/18).
DUTCH CANDIDATE: REUTERS' Brian Homewood reported Dutch FA President Michael van Praag said that "he would stand as a candidate" to replace Platini. Van Praag, announcing his bid on the Dutch FA's website, said that UEFA had "drifted into an impasse since Platini was suspended and he warned it faced the threat of a breakaway league being formed from Europe's top clubs." He said that the challenges facing UEFA included "the threat of clubs who want to start their own league, the structure of the club competitions, human rights, discrimination and the tremendous changes in commercial marketing in football" (REUTERS, 5/18).
KOSOVO TASK FORCE: In a separate piece, Homewood reported UEFA is "taking extra precautions to ensure Kosovo's recent admission to international football does not cause political problems." UEFA said that it will "set up a task force to determine which teams should be kept apart from Kosovo in international competitions to avoid potential trouble." UEFA also suggested that, based on an initial response from FIFA, it was "unlikely that Kosovar players who have previously represented other national teams such as Switzerland and Albania would be allowed to switch allegiance." Theodoridis said, "We always have to take precautions to avoid clashes. The obvious one is Serbia, but we have other cases where there could be problems" (REUTERS, 5/18).
