UEFA president Michel Platini is to write to all European clubs urging them to curb spending excesses.
Platini has made imposing UEFA’s new financial fair play rules one of his top priorities for his new four-year term as president. He said following Tuesday’s UEFA Congress in Paris: “Financially speaking football is driving itself against a wall.
“If it doesn’t stop, some clubs are going to kill themselves. Two years ago, I took the bull by horns and we’re not going back on it.
“This year alone we have taken five clubs out of European competition under our licensing system. They have had four years’ notice to put their accounts in order.
“I’m going to write a letter to the European clubs saying ‘watch out, in 2014 we will take decisions’.”
Platini said the rules to make clubs in European competition only spend what they earn were “a sort of salary cap”.
Platini also refused to rule out standing for FIFA president in four years’ time and admitted that Europe could play the decisive role in the election contest bet-ween Sepp Blatter and Mohamed Bin Hammam in June.
Blatter significantly promised to step down in 2015 if he is re-elected – an implicit message to the 53 European countries that if they back him he will make way for Platini in four years’ time.
The Frenchman would not be drawn on which candidate he would support but admitted that UEFA’s role could be decisive.
He said: “We have 53 countries so yes it could be decisive. If they follow the vote of the UEFA president it could be but I don’t know if that will happen. But to have two candidates is good for democracy, good for ideas, for change, for everything. It’s good for FIFA.”
Asked whether he would consider standing for the FIFA presidency in 2015, Platini did not rule it out.
“Let’s meet again in three years and then I will tell you,” he said.
Platini is a former advisor to the FIFA president and worked with Bin Hammam on Blatter’s campaign for his first election in 1998, but he insisted his position at the head of European football meant he had to consult others in UEFA before committing himself.
Platini said: “You ask me who I will support? In 1998 I was only Michel Platini, I was only thinking of myself.
“Today, I’m president of UEFA and this is something new. There are two candidates – I’m going to think about this, consult with my vice-presidents and the executive committee and see what position we will adopt. I can’t think about myself any more.”