Platini questions global motives

Platini: Sceptical

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Uefa president Michel Platini has reaffirmed his disapproval of the plans for an 'international round' of fixtures.

Last week, the Premier League chose to postpone its meeting with Fifa over the proposal for each top-flight club to play an additional fixture in a foreign city.

Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore is keen to delay the talks as he looks to further investigate the plans before meeting with Fifa president Sepp Blatter.

The idea has already been criticised by a number of managers, while Blatter and Platini have voiced their opposition.

Core values

And after branding the plans as 'comical', Platini has slammed the scheme once more, insisting that it undermines the core values of football and only serves to aid clubs' growing debts.

"English clubs are in debt and are therefore always looking for new sources of profit to cope," Platini told French newspaper La Provence.

"When I see a Premier League club where the president, the coach and players are not English, again, I am sceptical.

Not a product

"Twenty years ago, people said that it was necessary to play sport to stay healthy. Today, it is to play for cash.

"Football is not just a product, it is the bearer of values, it has a social impact. We must return to the true values of sport.

"That is why I wanted to be president, in order to protect these values.

"I am not against money, far from it. I have earned a lot in my life. But I think that money should not command in sport."