Platini seeks EU help to combat threat

Foreign owners such as those at Manchester United and Liverpool are "a serious threat" to European soccer, UEFA president Michel Platini said yesterday, blaming them for obstructing his Champions League reform.

In a letter, obtained by Reuters, to all 27 European Union leaders - including Britain's Gordon Brown, Germany's Angela Merkel and France's Nicolas Sarkozy - European soccer's top official asks them to protect the sport from "a distortion".

"A serious threat hangs over the development of European football: the malign and ever-present influence of money," the letter says.

Platini's special adviser William Gaillard told Reuters that the former French international believed the billionaire backers of Manchester United and Liverpool were behind the opposition to plans to give domestic cup winners a Champions League spot.

Last week G14, which represents 18 of Europe's most powerful clubs such as Manchester United and Liverpool, said it was opposed to the new proposals.

"I know G14 have said this but from our discussions it seems the main opposition is at Liverpool and Manchester United who have investors out to make a quick buck on their investment and are only looking at the financial risks of the reform plan and not the sporting merits," Gaillard said.

Gaillard was also quick to differentiate Liverpool and United's US owners from Chelsea's Russian owner Roman Abramovich and Milan's Silvio Berlusconi whom he said Platini believed "love the game and are not just in it for the money".

In his letter to EU leaders Platini says: "Money has always been in sport...but money has never been the ultimate objective of football, the main purpose has been to win trophies.

"For the first time we may be entering an era in which financial profit alone will be the measure of sporting success."

Liverpool's chief executive Rick Parry described the letter and Gaillard's comments as "absurd".

"I made it absolutely clear (to Platini) last week that I was representing the views of the majority of English Premier League clubs when I said we do not support the reform plan," Parry told Reuters.

"I didn't even discuss this issue with our owners prior to last week. Bottom line is that allowing the cup winners into the competition devalues the Premier League."

United chief executive David Gill told Reuters: "We completely refute the allegations. Our decision to oppose the plan for the Champions League regarding the cup winners is based on merit and follows consultations with, in particular, Sir Bobby Charlton and Sir Alex Ferguson.

"The decision is in no way dictated to by our clubs' owners."

Platini's proposals would give 16 cup winners a separate qualifying route into the Champions League and an allocation of four automatic places in the lucrative group stages.

Platini also faces opposition from the European Professional Football Leagues (EPFL), compelling him to defer a final vote by UEFA's executive by one month.

Special status

Platini's letter was also written in a bid to convince EU leaders to give sport an exemption from EU laws in areas such as the development of homegrown players and multi-billion-euro television rights.

The 27 heads of state will meet next month to finalise a new reform treaty for the bloc, part of which will include a clause outlining how sport should be treated when EU regulators draft legislation in the future.