Profile: Michel Platini

Michel Platini (France)

Nationality: French
Date of birth: 21 June 1955
Profession and function in football:
Vice-President, French Football Federation
Adviser to the FIFA President
Former player with AS Nancy-Lorraine, AS St-Etienne, Juventus FC
Former French international
“Ballon d’Or” in 1983, 1984 and 1985

Election statement: “My principal concern will be to restore priority to what seems to me essential in football: the game. In order to give this value back its primacy, we must strive to rally all those who are actively involved in football and should have their say. Our sport has many very attractive facets, but we must ensure that we do not fall into excess or allow ourselves to be swayed by destructive trends. Our efforts must be deployed in all areas: youth, first of all, who, at the start of this 21st century, are so much in need of points of reference and sound role models; the fight against the scourge of doping, which represents a danger for the credibility of football; refereeing, which needs to be supported in the interests of the quality of the game and the spectacle; development, which will allow several countries to approach the elite so that our confederation can present a more homogeneous face; security, which also needs to be the focus of our constant concern so that we can receive in all our stadiums and on our pitches millions of people who have made football the linchpin of their leisure; women, to whom a large part of the future of our sport belongs, as demonstrated by all the relevant studies.

Ambition
“If we are to implement this ambitious programme, the national associations will have an essential role to play; it is they who hold the key to our success. They will have to show commitment and determination. Of course, the clubs will not be forgotten, any more than professional players and coaches. They too have their part to play in building the football of the future. UEFA undoubtedly attracts pretty much all the best things that are being done in football today. It must continue to apply all its weight to the football authorities at world level. But UEFA must also serve as an example through its rallying spirit."

Football souvenir: ”Over and above all, the joys I have experienced as a player, coach and official, it is a horrible memory that has marked me for ever. The tragedy that took place in the Heysel stadium in 1985 destroyed many of my illusions. Until then, football had been one long celebration. Even the days when we lost. Before that European Cup final – a dream! – I imagined that all those involved in a football match went the stadium to enjoy themselves. That day, I discovered that the world can be violent, even in a stadium, and that we have to do everything possible to ensure that such a thing never happens again!"