The editoral column by UEFA President Michel Platini in the latest edition of the official UEFA publication uefadirect.
Caring about the future does not mean forgetting about the past. On the contrary, looking back can be a good way of making sure that the path mapped out at the beginning has not been strayed from too much, and of re-establishing priorities if necessary.
Legitimate wish
It is therefore worth remembering that the European club competitions were born out of the enthusiasm of a small group of football lovers who were motivated by a legitimate wish to know which was the best club in Europe at a time when comparisons could only be based on friendly matches.
Social phenomenon
We all know how these competitions developed and how their interests became entwined with those of television in order to create events that extended far beyond the realms of sport, becoming a social phenomenon increasingly shaped by one of the key factors of modern society: money.
Making football more durable
I am not going to complain here about this influx of money which, in itself, is to be welcomed, since it should enable us to support professional footballers, enhance infrastructures and playing standards, and make our sport more durable.
Sporting events
Unfortunately, the financial aspect has made some people forget that these competitions should, above all, be sporting events. It is intolerable that, for some clubs, participating in the European competitions has become an obligation that is indispensable for balancing their books and that, consequently, they are not afraid to borrow money to achieve their objective, leading them into a spiral of debt that can ultimately ruin them.
Common will
It is even harder to accept that certain clubs, with more modest ambitions, should try to profit from their participation in European competitions by making money from illegal betting and match-fixing. No, the financial excesses of sport cannot be tolerated, a fact that has not escaped any of the stakeholders represented in the Professional Football Strategy Council, who have expressed support for the principles of financial fair play put before them. A common will has been established; now it is a question of finalising ways not of returning to the era of the pioneers of the European club competitions, but of at least ensuring that their spirit lives on.
Caring about the future does not mean forgetting about the past. On the contrary, looking back can be a good way of making sure that the path mapped out at the beginning has not been strayed from too much, and of re-establishing priorities if necessary.
Legitimate wish
It is therefore worth remembering that the European club competitions were born out of the enthusiasm of a small group of football lovers who were motivated by a legitimate wish to know which was the best club in Europe at a time when comparisons could only be based on friendly matches.
Social phenomenon
We all know how these competitions developed and how their interests became entwined with those of television in order to create events that extended far beyond the realms of sport, becoming a social phenomenon increasingly shaped by one of the key factors of modern society: money.
Making football more durable
I am not going to complain here about this influx of money which, in itself, is to be welcomed, since it should enable us to support professional footballers, enhance infrastructures and playing standards, and make our sport more durable.
Sporting events
Unfortunately, the financial aspect has made some people forget that these competitions should, above all, be sporting events. It is intolerable that, for some clubs, participating in the European competitions has become an obligation that is indispensable for balancing their books and that, consequently, they are not afraid to borrow money to achieve their objective, leading them into a spiral of debt that can ultimately ruin them.
Common will
It is even harder to accept that certain clubs, with more modest ambitions, should try to profit from their participation in European competitions by making money from illegal betting and match-fixing. No, the financial excesses of sport cannot be tolerated, a fact that has not escaped any of the stakeholders represented in the Professional Football Strategy Council, who have expressed support for the principles of financial fair play put before them. A common will has been established; now it is a question of finalising ways not of returning to the era of the pioneers of the European club competitions, but of at least ensuring that their spirit lives on.
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