Platini confident FIFA and clubs will make up
Reuters - Friday 02 March 2012, 14:27
UEFA President Michel Platini is
confident European clubs and FIFA, at loggerheads over the
international calendar and insurance for players, will iron out
their differences.
The European Clubs Association (ECA) has said it is
boycotting talks on Monday with FIFA over the international
calendar, saying progress with world football's governing body has
been "disappointing."
Expressing surprise at the move, FIFA retorted that ECA
members had missed previous meetings with FIFA committees
"making it very difficult for progress to be made in discussions
with the European clubs."
Platini, the head of European football, is remaining upbeat.
"I am confident that, despite the recent tensions between
the ECA and FIFA, the FIFA president [Sepp Blatter] will find a
solution that represents a win-win situation for all concerned,"
Platini said in a statement.
"His experience and determination to reach a compromise that
satisfies everyone will enable the best interests of football to
be safeguarded. It is through dialogue and unity that we will
achieve this objective."
On Tuesday, the ECA announced it had reached an agreement
with UEFA for an insurance policy covering the injury risk of
players while on international team duty, starting at Euro 2012.
The ECA had previously demanded a similar policy from FIFA
for the World Cup.
UEFA also agreed to a 55 million euros payout for the clubs for the use of their players at
Euro 2012.
"I am very satisfied with the outcome of these long months
of negotiation," Platini said.
"This new Memorandum of Understanding will be presented to
the UEFA Congress on March 22 and I have no doubt that, with the
consent of the 53 UEFA member associations, it will enable
European football to develop in an atmosphere of calm, as it has
over the past five years."
However, Platini stressed that a further agreement with the
clubs over the international calendar had to be approved by
FIFA.
"Some parts of the agreement are, however, still pending as
they fall under the exclusive, legitimate responsibility of
FIFA, the governing body of world football. One such pending
item is the international match calendar," he said.
ECA said UEFA had agreed to reduce the number of
international dates to nine double-headers over a two-year
period and to abolish the August friendly.