Platini attacks top-flight set-up

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From the BBC News Desk

Uefa president Michel Platini launches a scathing attack on the influx of foreign owners in the Premier League.

He said: "If you bring people from Qatar and there is no-one from Liverpool or Manchester at the club, where is Liverpool or Manchester?

"I think it is not good. I think the Qataris should invest in Qatar.

"They should develop the football in each country. Can we do something against it? I will try to."


One player aged 11 is coming from Marseille to Chelsea. For the mother you think that is good?

Uefa president Michel Platini
Nine of the 20 English Premier League clubs have foreign owners.

Manchester City are the latest Premier League side to have been taken over after Thaksin Shinawatra sold the club to Abu Dhabi United Group, which is backed by Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Concerned by the influx of foreign owners and players to the Premier League, Platini believes the balance has tipped too far in England.

He continued: "Do you want in Liverpool an Arab sheikh as president with one Brazilian coach and nine or 11 African players?

"Where is Liverpool in that? We have to make some rules.

"What is football? Football is a game and this game has become popular because of the identity.

"You have to have identity, that is where football's popularity lies."

Platini also revealed Uefa would looking at ways of introducing Europe-wide regulations.

"Can we do something against it? I will try to do something, I am not sure it will be possible to do that but I have to see European law, English law, French, German, Russian, Ukrainian, many."

The former French playmaker also criticised English clubs for poaching under-age players from abroad as he stressed the need to "control the transfer of minors".

"When you buy Ronaldo or Pele or Maradona or Robinho, I have no problem. But when you buy players at 13, 14 or 15 years, I don't like that," he said.

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