could put football back in the right direction
Posted: Fri Jan 26, 2007 10:42 pm
by Dogatron
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070126/ts ... 0126184350
away from boring, overpaid unmotivated superstar teams back to grassroots football with passion and loyalty
Posted: Fri Jan 26, 2007 11:09 pm
by aquaphase
Platini will do good things for UEFA
Posted: Fri Jan 26, 2007 11:35 pm
by eebs
i don't think Platini will make much difference to be honest. UEFA and FIFA are all about looking after no 1 with a bit of lip service to grass roots football.
How does reducing England, Germany and Spain's representatives in the Champions League from 4 to 3 make any difference.... apart from a voting gimmick to get the smaller nations on board... so they can get a slice of the big pie until their team gets whipped 34.0 by Chelsea. Unless they do it properly ie. Champions League = finished first in the league to qualify but that will never happen as people ie. sponsors. aren't interested in chucking vast sums at money at UEFA for that kind of product.
The problem that grassroots football has in this country is that clubs aren't financially viable - look at the number of clubs withdrawing from leagues this season, not helped by the ground "improvements" that they have to have to play at a certain level, even if they only attract 4 men and a goat to their games. Alternatively they get taken over by asset stripping bastards who then abuse their power by selling the land to their own company for a pittance then kick the club off the land at the first opportunity so they can develop it and make an absolute killing.
Even at Conference South level (2 promotions below the Football League) 2 clubs look like they will be gone after the season - Farnborough and Cambridge City - Farnborough's administrators haven't paid the players for several weeks now and tomorrow's game has been in doubt.
Be interesting to see to what extent Blatter had an influence on this....