Platini Continues War Of Words On Foreign Owners

UEFA president Michel Platini has again attacked the number of foreign owners in the Premier League following up the governing body’s threat that football clubs with heavy debts could be excluded from future European competitions.

Platini said: ‘If you bring people from Qatar and there is no-one from Liverpool or Manchester at the club, where is Liverpool or Manchester?

‘I think it is not good. I think the Qataris should invest in Qatar. They should develop the football in each country. Can we do something against it? I will try to.’

Nine of the 20 English Premier League clubs have foreign owners with Manchester City the latest Premier League side to have been taken over after Thaksin Shinawatra sold the club to Abu Dhabi United Group, which is backed by Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Concerned by the influx of foreign owners and players to the Premier League, Platini believes the balance has tipped too far in England.

He continued: ‘Do you want in Liverpool an Arab sheikh as president with one Brazilian coach and nine or 11 African players?

‘Where is Liverpool in that? We have to make some rules. What is football? Football is a game and this game has become popular because of the identity. You have to have identity, that is where football’s popularity lies.

‘Can we do something against it? I will try to do something, I am not sure it will be possible to do that but I have to see European law, English law, French, German, Russian, Ukrainian, many.’

Platini’s outburst came after UEFA general secretary gave a stark warning to British clubs that the existing level of debt was not acceptable.

Entry to the Champions League and UEFA Cup is subject to licences issued by European football’s governing body and Taylor said clubs must address debts or face the ‘ultimate sanction’.

‘There would be forms of communication, even warnings or reprimands, before one got to a situation of exclusion but it is absolutely possible.’