Exceptional guest of the JDD, in a long interview, Michel Platini legend of the Blues and former boss of UEFA returned to his career and his vision of today’s football.
One of the essential subjects is obviously the emergence of the Saudi championship which has seduced many players thanks to unlimited means during this summer transfer window. Tracked by Saudi Arabia, Lionel Messi declined offers to favor the Miami sun, a choice Platini could have made: “At the time, the president of the New York cosmos had thought of bringing me, but the main professional soccer league in North America disappeared in 1984, along with its team, for which Pelé had played for two seasons twenty years earlier. If I had had an opportunity in the United States, I would have gone there for the quality of life.
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The former glory of Juve is not surprised by the emergence of the Saudi Pro, League: “There is nothing abnormal. From the moment Qatar had the World Cup, Saudi Arabia wanted to show that they were there too. Football is global, we have to accept it and adapt. It’s like East Germany, which wanted to impose its vision of the world through sport in the 1980s. Saudi Arabia wants to be talked about. This country has the means to do it and does it. When we all left for Italy in 1982, it was because the Italian championship was richer and the Agnelli, Berlusconi and Mantovani invested a lot of money. There’s nothing new. This is the business of football and the politics of football. »
Fervent opponent of the VAR, a few years later before his general enthronement, Michel Platini’s opinion on this tool has not really changed: “The Var solves problems, but creates others. I would have rather fought to improve the referees, because if you put the VAR, it means that the referees are not good. That’s why I tried to put five referees. Video support should be there to help, but it can’t do everything. The feeling of a referee on a contact will always be more natural than a video. On the other hand, I must note that this tool is quite effective for offsides. So there are pros and cons but I would never have instituted it. It didn’t solve the problems, it moved them. »
It was the mandatory question for one of the faces of French football. Accustomed to managing the policy of his sport at the highest level, the former vice-president of the FFF and president of UEFA does not intend to take up the torch from Le Graët: “I was vice-president of the Federation he twenty years ago. I was president of UEFA. I will not take the presidency of the federation. I am invited by the FFF for the France-Ireland at the Parc des Princes on September 7. They are celebrating Euro 84, which we won at the Parc. I will not go. I do not want to be part of this French Federation, still managed by the old team of Le Graët, which is in fact still in charge.