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PARIS (AFP) – Michel Platini pledged to re-organise the European football calendar after being re-elected unopposed for a second term as UEFA president at Paris's Grand Palais on Tuesday.
The 55-year-old Frenchman, who originally took up the role in 2007, said he wanted to shake up the football calendar to return international competition to the forefront of the global game.
Asked by journalists at the UEFA Congress for the number one priority of his second term, Platini replied: "The calendar."
He added: "I can't give you more information but the calendar is the basis of everything, for leagues, international competitions, the Champions League.
"There are 365 days a year and you can't play every day. You have to find out how to share the calendar between countries and clubs.
"The current calendar is valid until 2014 and we're working on a project with the (UEFA) general secretary (Gianni Infantino).
"We'd like to propose a new match calendar to FIFA in 2014."
Platini has previously likened the Champions League, UEFA's flagship club tournament, to a "monster", such is the extent to which it is prioritised by clubs, coaches and players.
"It's not a matter of (the Champions League) cannibalising the calendar," he explained.
"I used 'monster' because it's become massively important. I've heard players saying the final of the Champions League was more important than the final of the World Cup. It surprised me. I didn't expect it.
"We started thinking, how could we promote international football more? In the national calendars there are always conflicts of scheduling but we wanted to see how to approach this to put international football back to where it was.
"When you have friendly matches, they can't be played as they should be due to Champions League matches. That's why I used the word monster. But it's a nice monster."
Platini has been tipped by former Brazil great Pele as a future FIFA president, but he refused to be drawn when asked if he would one day consider running for the top job in world football.
"Let's meet again in three years," he replied. "And then I'll tell you."
Current FIFA president Sepp Blatter will bid to win a fourth consecutive mandate in June but he has been challenged by Asian Football Confederation president Mohamed bin Hammam.
Platini would not reveal which of the two candidates he will support but said Bin Hammam's challenge was positive for the administration of the sport.
"I don't know whether European football will support a particular candidate," he said.
"I have my own personal opinion, but I am the president of UEFA so I have to consult the member associations before expressing an opinion.
"I will listen to my colleagues from the executive committee and the other associations and then maybe, maybe I will express a position."
He added: "Given that there are two candidates, there will be pledges for change. I think it's good that there are two candidates.
"It's good for democracy because the two candidates will propose new things."
Platini, the former France captain and three-time European Footballer of the Year, also backtracked on remarks that he regretted awarding the 2012 European Championship to Poland and the financially imperilled Ukraine.
Speaking to AFP over the weekend, Platini had said appointing Ukraine co-hosts had perhaps been a "mistake", but on Tuesday he said his words had been taken out of context.
"No, I never said it was a mistake," he said.
"In each congress I say the same thing: Ukraine and Poland will be hosting an event like this for the first time in their history.
"Our Ukrainian friends are having problems but our job is to help them, not turn our backs on them. It's a challenge but we'll successfully negotiate it."
The 55-year-old Frenchman, who originally took up the role in 2007, said he wanted to shake up the football calendar to return international competition to the forefront of the global game.
Asked by journalists at the UEFA Congress for the number one priority of his second term, Platini replied: "The calendar."
He added: "I can't give you more information but the calendar is the basis of everything, for leagues, international competitions, the Champions League.
"There are 365 days a year and you can't play every day. You have to find out how to share the calendar between countries and clubs.
"The current calendar is valid until 2014 and we're working on a project with the (UEFA) general secretary (Gianni Infantino).
"We'd like to propose a new match calendar to FIFA in 2014."
Platini has previously likened the Champions League, UEFA's flagship club tournament, to a "monster", such is the extent to which it is prioritised by clubs, coaches and players.
"It's not a matter of (the Champions League) cannibalising the calendar," he explained.
"I used 'monster' because it's become massively important. I've heard players saying the final of the Champions League was more important than the final of the World Cup. It surprised me. I didn't expect it.
"We started thinking, how could we promote international football more? In the national calendars there are always conflicts of scheduling but we wanted to see how to approach this to put international football back to where it was.
"When you have friendly matches, they can't be played as they should be due to Champions League matches. That's why I used the word monster. But it's a nice monster."
Platini has been tipped by former Brazil great Pele as a future FIFA president, but he refused to be drawn when asked if he would one day consider running for the top job in world football.
"Let's meet again in three years," he replied. "And then I'll tell you."
Current FIFA president Sepp Blatter will bid to win a fourth consecutive mandate in June but he has been challenged by Asian Football Confederation president Mohamed bin Hammam.
Platini would not reveal which of the two candidates he will support but said Bin Hammam's challenge was positive for the administration of the sport.
"I don't know whether European football will support a particular candidate," he said.
"I have my own personal opinion, but I am the president of UEFA so I have to consult the member associations before expressing an opinion.
"I will listen to my colleagues from the executive committee and the other associations and then maybe, maybe I will express a position."
He added: "Given that there are two candidates, there will be pledges for change. I think it's good that there are two candidates.
"It's good for democracy because the two candidates will propose new things."
Platini, the former France captain and three-time European Footballer of the Year, also backtracked on remarks that he regretted awarding the 2012 European Championship to Poland and the financially imperilled Ukraine.
Speaking to AFP over the weekend, Platini had said appointing Ukraine co-hosts had perhaps been a "mistake", but on Tuesday he said his words had been taken out of context.
"No, I never said it was a mistake," he said.
"In each congress I say the same thing: Ukraine and Poland will be hosting an event like this for the first time in their history.
"Our Ukrainian friends are having problems but our job is to help them, not turn our backs on them. It's a challenge but we'll successfully negotiate it."
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