FIFA's ethics committee said that former UEFA President Michel Platini will be allowed to address its Congress on Wednesday as a "gesture of humanity" despite his ban from the sport, according to Brian Homewood of REUTERS.
The Frenchman has been banned for four years from all football-related activity for ethics violations and his replacement to head the sport's European governing body "will be elected at the event in Athens." FIFA's ethics committee said that "an exception had been made for Wednesday's event following a request from UEFA." The committee said in a statement, "UEFA formally asked the adjudicatory chamber of the independent ethics committee for an exception for Mr Platini to be able to make a short farewell address to its congress in Athens. The chairman of the adjudicatory chamber, Mr. Hans-Joachim Eckert, granted this exception as a gesture of humanity" (REUTERS, 9/12).
BRIDGING THE GAP: In a separate piece, Homewood wrote, UEFA "elects a new president on Wednesday whose main task will be to stop what European officials say is an inexorable slide towards a breakaway football Super League open only to wealthy clubs such as Real Madrid and Manchester City." Aleksander Ceferin, a lawyer from Slovenia, and Dutchman Michael van Praag, an experienced football administrator, "are the only candidates for a job which will essentially involve keeping European football intact in its current form." Platini "finally resigned" in May and the "power vacuum" allowed the big clubs to negotiate changes to the flagship Champions League in their favor. Both candidates criticized "the way in which the Champions League changes were made." Insiders said that "the new incumbent, who will be in the post until 2019, will need the courage to stand up to the big clubs if he wants to keep the traditional pyramid system, where teams can rise and fall according to their sporting results." Lars-Christer Olsson, head of the umbrella group representing 24 European leagues, said that ultimately sponsors "were likely to shy away from a sport which was splintered." He said, "The last thing they want is a split in the market. I think UEFA was afraid for no real reason" (REUTERS, 9/12).
