(To be checked against delivery)

Speech by Michel PLATINI, President of the UEFA

Strasbourg, 24 January 2008

President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Lluís Maria de Puig;
Rapporteur for the Committee on Culture, Science and Education, José Luis Arnaut;
Members;
Ladies and gentlemen;

First of all, may I say what an experience it is for me, a humble free-kick taker from Lorraine, to stand in front of this distinguished assembly – you make a formidable defensive wall!

Last November in Brussels, I was disappointed to have to attend a conference on violence in sport. Of course, it would have been better if such a subject did not need to be discussed, as football should be a game that is synonymous only with joy, brotherhood and interaction, a simple pleasure based on healthy values. But unfortunately, it was clear that, in view of the circumstances, this debate was necessary.

Today, on the other hand, it is perfectly natural for me to be participating in this discussion here in Strasbourg. It is natural because I am here to support the efforts of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe to safeguard the European model of sport.

I would like to begin by stressing how similar the Europe of the Council of Europe is to that of UEFA. It is a Europe which stretches from the Atlantic to the Ural, a Europe that is constantly evolving and a Europe that is forward-looking.
And it is the future that we are concerned with, the future which is embodied by young Europeans, a future of democracy and respect for human rights, in which everyone will be able to fulfil their potential while upholding these essential values that are defended by the Council of Europe.

European sport has always been a powerful catalyst for social and cultural integration.
By virtue of my own origins, I myself, like tens of millions of Europeans, am a product of this tremendous intermixing of peoples which is the very essence of the Europe in which we live.
I was shaped through and thanks to sport, and now I am trying to repay that debt by actively supporting these values that we hold dear.

I would like to pay tribute right away to the excellent work carried out by José Luis Arnaut and the Committee on Culture, Science and Education.

Today you have in front of you a report on the European model of sport which clearly identifies the problems, suggests appropriate solutions and opens up future possibilities that are totally plausible.

Two key aspects make the European model of sport both unique and completely fair:
the solidarity between the different levels of European sport,
and the openness of competitions thanks to the system of promotion and relegation.

Any attempt to undermine these two elements would sound the knell of the fundamental relationship that exists between sport and society in our continent.

But this European model of sport cannot be reduced to these two basic principles, to these two vital principles that have been identified and defended so well in the Council of Europe report.

It is also characterised by other elements which make it a model that perfectly conveys our values and ideals:

Contrary to certain generally accepted ideas, sport in Europe is based almost exclusively on voluntary work.

99% of sports clubs and organisations in Europe are non-profit-making and form part of a pyramid-shaped structure that guarantees democratic and transparent functioning.

And it is these volunteers and European sports organisations which maintain this fragile balance and allow the values of sport to be passed on perpetually.

It is this European model of sport which contributes in its way to safeguarding local, regional and national identity – as well as to friendship and relationships between peoples and nations.

All of these elements also have to continue to be defended strongly and with conviction in the future.

As the report points out so well, the federations and national associations are the guarantors of this model of sport because they alone are able to sustain this social and educational link.

In recent years, we have witnessed a kind of explosion of sectoral and corporate interests at both league and club levels in all team sports that are played professionally.

These initiatives, which often attract enormous media coverage, are designed to benefit one element, particularly if it is powerful and the rich, rather than the mass.
Attempts are made to reduce a discipline into a show, to demean a sport in order to convert it into a product.

It is becoming more important to make a profit than to win trophies.

I have, on many occasions, condemned the harmful influence of money, where making a profit becomes the sole objective of all sports organisations.

My detractors, none of whom are disinterested parties, have tried to caricature me as football's version of Robin Hood or as a follower of barroom philosophising.

I am therefore particularly pleased to note that this report of Mr Arnaut shares my concerns about these issues and insists that the federations should continue to be the key feature of a form of organisation providing a guarantee of sporting cohesion and participatory democracy.

Grassroots sport is a vital cog in the process of social and cultural integration. Millions of children from all parts of the world have become and continue to become European by kicking a ball around a muddy pitch in our towns or countryside before going to school.

Of course, the society in which we live has many problems which I have no need to describe to you, coming into direct contact, as you do, with everyday realities in your respective constituencies.

Unfortunately, but quite naturally, these problems are reflected in sport, particularly football, since it is by far the most popular sport and attracts the most media attention.

I mentioned violence at the start of my speech but, as the report explains so clearly, society has also passed other scourges on to the world of sport: money-laundering, match-fixing, illegal betting, racism and xenophobia and doping, not to mention child trafficking.

The list is long but it enables us to identify all the areas in which close cooperation between sports bodies and public authorities is both necessary and unavoidable.

And let us not be afraid to admit that some of these evils are linked to the over-commercialisation of sport.

Sport sometimes becomes a magnifying mirror, glaringly reflecting phenomena that society has tried to brush under the carpet.

But grassroots sport is an extraordinary catalyst for ethnic intermixing and integration: football in particular is a welcoming, protecting and integrating sport.

The millions of volunteers involved in our sport every weekend are making a contribution to civic education. They are not just refereeing, they are not just coaching, they are not just driving our children from A to B, they are helping them to become responsible citizens who respect the values of our Europe.

Sadly, racism and xenophobia remain part of our society, and sport can be affected just like any other social phenomenon.

UEFA, an organisation of which I am honoured to be the president, is working relentlessly on a day-to-day basis to eradicate these problems with the help of NGOs.

We are often confronted by organised extremist groups which usually have no connection with football but use the popularity of our sport for extremely reprehensible ends. In our dealings with them and anyone who distorts the spirit of sport, we are and will remain ruthless and uncompromising on football pitches and in our stadiums.

I would now like to mention the subject of specificity. I must say that this is dealt with superbly in this Council of Europe report.

Let us try to refocus the debate for a few moments.

Realistically, Europe's main sports authority has for years been the European Commission's Directorate General for Competition. Competition law was starting to replace the laws of football and the application of the offside rule was becoming an abuse of a dominant position…of the defender, I suppose.

But joking aside, by treating professional sport as a kind of commercial activity, it is quite clear that all sporting activity was ultimately being viewed through the terribly distorting prism of competition law.

The European Court of Justice has, on many occasions, set itself up as the supreme disciplinary body of sport, making the mistake that the United States Supreme Court has always, quite rightly, carefully avoided.
However, something quite fundamental has recently changed and the report explains this very well.

At the level of the European Union, the Lisbon Treaty has significantly altered the order of things by recognising the specificity of sport.

In the same context, there is a very positive initiative by the Dutch and French governments on the specificity of sport.

The draft resolution you see before you asks you, among other things, to respect the specificity of sport and to preserve the European model of sport.

Although I know that it does not concern all of the countries represented here, you should know – particularly the representatives of the members of the European Union – that by supporting the Franco-Dutch initiative in your respective countries, you can kill two birds with one stone, promoting the Parliament Assembly resolution and opening the way for European regulation that will free us from the consequences of the money-grabbing approach that is causing us so many problems at the present time.

Before concluding, I would like to highlight the extremely positive effect that the creation of the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Sport in 2007 has had on European sport. I would like to urge those countries which have not yet joined to do so.

And I would like to take this opportunity to thank you very much for having granted UEFA observer status.

It is a sign of confidence on your part which allows us to work hand in hand to defend, together, the values of sport, the values of Europe.

(Pause for a few seconds)

The creation of the Council of Europe in 1949, after two world wars which had devastated our continent and led to the massacre of tens of millions of Europeans, was based on a fundamental notion: respect.

Respect for law, respect for others, respect for diversity and differences are at the very core of our civilisation and our democracy. Without respect there is no salvation and therefore no sport.

I have three years left in my term as UEFA president; I want to ensure they are three years for tolerance, three years for education, three years for civic-mindedness.

I know that the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe will play an active role in helping me to achieve this and that respect will become the leitmotiv of a fairer, more open and more fraternal Europe of sport.

Thank you.