Platini calls for end to poaching foreign talent

UEFA president Michel Platini said he wants rules put in place to stop top clubs poaching the most talented teenagers from abroad.

English clubs are particularly reliant on overseas talent not just in their first teams but also at academy level, a situation that worries the Frenchman.

He also said he fears for the future of English football if the current trend of clubs selling out to billionaire foreign owners continues.

"I have told the European Commission that we should ban the transfer of minors. The first contract a player signs should be with the club who trains him," Platini said in the Mail on Sunday.

"Minors shouldn't be seen as a machine that can be transferred for the benefit of agents or clubs."

On foreign ownership, Platini pointed the finger at Liverpool and Manchester City. He said it is about time clubs stop allowing themselves to be traded between billionaire individuals.

Platini also questions the motives of former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra in buying Manchester City.

"Why is he doing that? Is it because he wants to develop young people in Manchester? Or is he trying to elevate his prestige through buying a club in Britain?" Platini said.

Platini criticised the Premier League's planned 39th game when it was announced recently and described his relationship with Premier League chief Peter Scudamore as difficult.

"I would say the aggression shown to me by Mr Scudamore is mutual," says Platini.

"I do not treat him with kid gloves, neither him nor the Premier League. But let's just say that my English representative is the president of the English FA."