Platini urges ministers to act for sport

The anchoring of sport's specific nature and sports bodies' autonomy in European Union legislation – UEFA's contribution to financial fair play in European football – a halt to the trafficking of young footballers, and a ban on transfers of players under the age of 18. These were the crucial elements of a keynote speech given by UEFA President Michel Platini to the sports ministers of 27 EU nations in Biarritz, France, on Friday.

Firm and decisive action
Mr Platini called on the ministers and European political authorities to take firm and decisive action in all of these areas to help defend, protect and preserve Europe's sporting values. The UEFA President pledged that European football would make a full contribution to building the Europe of the future, and insisted that sport – and a game loved by millions of European citizens – could not merely be viewed as an economic activity or product.

Sport is specific
"Sport does not aspire to put itself above the law," Mr Platini told the ministers, "but it is specific. Sport is not an economic activity like any other. Sport is about sharing, surpassing oneself, exchange, respect. Sport is about emotions. Football is a game rather than just a product or a market. It is a spectacle rather than just a business.

Europe must change stance
"Sporting equity and competition balance cannot be submitted to arbitrary market laws. Europe must change its stance – it must take inspiration from sport, instead of imposing on sport unsound ideological models which have been pre-manufactured elsewhere.

European sports model
"As good European citizens, we ask that you help us to convince the European Commission to adopt guidelines which will allow us to remain within European law without compromising our autonomy – for we have need of more legal certainty to move forward. It is only in this way that we can protect the European sports model, based on a pyramid structure, financial solidarity and the principle of promotion and relegation, synonymous with the opening of competitions to everyone – small and large, rich and less rich."

Financial fair play and transparency
Mr Platini then moved on to the issue of financial fair play and transparency. "Fiscal rules in Europe are extremely diverse ... and the systems of licensing, control and financial management of football clubs involve a myriad of concepts and different regulations," he said.

Subsidiarity principle
"UEFA is not going to charge itself with the task of harmonising European fiscal issues. UEFA is not going to impose its licensing system on national associations for their own competitions. We will not do this because we are as attached as you are to the subsidiarity principle," the UEFA President told the ministers.

Improving UEFA licensing system
"However, what UEFA can do – and we are thinking seriously about doing it – is to reinforce and improve our system for granting licences for our own club competitions. It is in this way that we wish to contribute to financial fair play, and start responding to the expectations of the various parties involved in our sport."

Trafficking of children
Mr Platini also expressed his concern about the protection and education of young footballers. "Today, in the world and in Europe, there is trafficking of children. I will not mince my words because the situation is serious. What else do you call a phenomenon ... whereby children aged 12 or 13 are torn away from their environment and culture to join a business in return for payment? This is what is happening in football.

Ban transfers of minors
"Together with FIFA, we are studying remedies, but measures can already be taken to ban the international transfer of minors, even within the European Union. In numerous European states, strict rules exist which prevent clubs – on threat of sporting sanctions – poaching [young players] from their rivals' training centres. However, these rules do not exist at European Union level.

Precarious situation
"What the clubs cannot do at home, they can do with their European neighbours or in Africa or Latin America, with disastrous consequences on the training centres and on the psychological well-being and education of young players. When one knows that less than one youngster in ten who goes to a [club] training centre goes on to have a professional career, one can understand the precarious nature of their situation and the importance of an education which prepares them for life beyond football.

Urgent matters
"It is in this context that we would like to be able to ban international transfers of players under the age of 18 within the EU. This is not to create an obstacle to the free movement of labour – it is an urgent matter relating to helping youngsters in danger.

Important and historic stage
"[This meeting in] Biarritz can simply be just another meeting," Mr Platini told the ministers in concluding. "Or indeed, on the contrary, Biarritz can represent an important and historic stage in the defending of European sporting values – which are the values of Europe itself."