UEFA•direct 141 – out now

UEFA activities and events in the early stages of the 2014/15 season take pride of place in edition 141 of the official publication UEFA•direct.

In his editorial column, UEFA President Michel Platini looks back at the successful UEFA Respect Diversity conference in Rome, and reflects that unstinting hard work is the way forward to banish racism and discrimination from football. "I want football to fulfil its promise to the millions of young men and women who believe in its magic and believe it is a force for positive change that can build a more tolerant and more peaceful society," Mr Platini explains.

"Football welcomes, includes and integrates," he adds. "It does not exclude anyone. It does not discriminate against anyone. It helps to make the world a better place. That is what I believe and what I stand for."

The Monaco events to herald the club competition season are covered in detail, as well as the prestigious awards for UEFA Best Player in Europe and UEFA Best Women's Player in Europe – won by Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid CF) and Nadine Kessler (VfL Wolfsburg) respectively. "I have a museum where I gather all my trophies," said Ronaldo on receiving the coveted UEFA prize, "so I will definitely show this beautiful one there."

UEFA listens to the invaluable views of the continent's leading coaches, and a host of stellar names came to Nyon for September's UEFA Elite Club Coaches Forum. UEFA•direct reports that UEFA coaching ambassador Sir Alex Ferguson, who chaired the gathering, noted that ten of the 20 coaches present were newcomers to the forum. He urged the newcomers not to feel overawed by more experienced colleagues. "We welcome the input from the young coaches and the fresh ideas they bring," Sir Alex said. "So play an active role in discussing trends, how the game is changing and what we could do to finetune the European club competitions."

The evolving media landscape places considerable demands on club press officers, and the annual UEFA forum at Wembley Stadium, London – featuring representatives of UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League sides – gives UEFA•direct an ideal opportunity to explain their work. The aim of the event was to look at organisational, operational, editorial and marketing activities, and to plan for the future of an area that is changing rapidly, owing especially to social media. For example, did you know that the audience for the official UEFA Champions League Facebook page has trebled to beyond the 35-million mark in the space of a year?

Europe's top referees are a champion team of their own, and UEFA•direct tells us how they were briefed on their duties for the coming campaign at a Nyon gathering. The match officials were reminded in particular that the protection of players and football's image was crucial. UEFA's chief refereeing officer Pierluigi Collina told the referees not to be afraid to take unpopular decisions. "We are not interested in referees being liked," he said. "We want referees to take correct decisions when necessary."

UEFA•direct has been publishing a series of articles to celebrate the European body's 60th birthday, and the latest edition focuses on the 1980s – when UEFA guided European football through an era of expansion, and had to face tragedy and sadness, notably the Heysel Stadium disaster in 1985 and the death of UEFA President Artemio Franchi in a road accident in 1983.

UEFA has been supporting football-related academic research projects through its Research Grant Programme since 2010. To offer a taste of the interesting work undertaken, UEFA•direct is showcasing a selection of research projects funded by the programme. In issue No141, Julian North – a senior research fellow at the Institute of Sport, Physical Activity and Leisure at Leeds Beckett University in the United Kingdom – presents his research into effective player development.

UEFA•direct – available in English, French and German – is essential reading for anyone wishing to know more about UEFA and European football.