UEFA's Michel Platini: Clubs must stop stockpiling players
Sunday 19 July 2015 20:13, UK
UEFA president Michel Platini wants to stop Europe’s top clubs from stockpiling the game's best players to ensure it remains competitive.
"What is important in the future is to limit the possibility to have the best players in one team. That is important for competition," Platini told World Soccer magazine.
"At the moment you have big clubs with a lot of money who can have everybody."
The European football chief pointed the finger at the Bosman rule, which allows the free movement of players in the European Union whose contracts have expired, saying: “[It means] you can have all the best players in the same team.
“In the past in Spain, you have Real Madrid, Atletico [Madrid], Barcelona, Valencia, a lot of teams and all the players were in different teams. Now, more or less, the best players are in one or two clubs.
It is not possible that the best teams have all the best players or competition itself is finished
"It is not possible that the best teams would have all the best players or competition itself is finished," Platini warned.
"We have to think about football in all of Europe, not only in two or three clubs."
The Frenchman also wants to to force clubs to use more ‘homegrown' players.
Currently, clubs are required to have eight homegrown players in their 25-man Champions League squads, but Platini said he will use a September meeting with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker to work on how to increase this.
"I support totally the agenda that says we need more homegrown players because it is not possible to fight on nationality," Platini said.
The former France captain refused to be drawn on whether or not he will run to replace Sepp Blatter as FIFA president, saying: "I do know but I can't tell you."
But he has confirmed that he will consider changes to the European U21 Championship, for which some 23-year-olds are eligible because the age cut-off relates to the qualifiers.
"These competitions like the U21s are a little bit strange today," he said.
"A long time ago it was OK to use this sort of competition to develop the players, but players at 23 nowadays are developed because they have begun working in a Barcelona or Chelsea or Bayern at the age of 12. It is an issue for reflection."
