Platini 'too hard' on Wenger

Uefa president continues to wade in verbal row

By James Dall   Last updated: 25th September 2008   Subscribe to RSS Feed

Platini 'too hard' on Wenger

Platini: Half-apology

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Uefa president Michel Platini has conceded he was 'too hard' on Arsene Wenger in his recent verbal attack on the Arsenal manager.

On Tuesday, comments from an interview with Grenoble daily Dauphine Libere emerged which saw Platini question Wenger's footballing priorities and hit out at his calls for video technology.

Wenger has since stated his shock at his French counterpart's words, while the League Managers' Association has leapt to the defence of the Gunners boss.

And now Platini has admitted he might have been overly critical of Wenger, telling Sud Ouest: "I was too hard on Arsene.

"My dad [Aldo Platini] told me off. He was the one who gave him [Wenger] his break (at Nancy)."

However, Platini went on to express his dislike for clubs that sign emerging talent at a young age - a policy regularly adopted by Wenger at Arsenal.

He added: "When I talk about business, what I am talking about is recruiting players when they are 13 or 14. I can't stand it."