You have to hand it to Michel Platini. When elected to the Uefa presidency the general thinking was that the successful ex-Juventus and France player, winner of the 1984 European Championship, would make the perfect person to remove all the bureaucracy, clumsiness and cosiness from European football's governing body. Uefa would no longer be about self interest and career administrators, now it would be about football and the fans.
How wrong we were. Not only has Platini confirmed to the archetype football administrator, seen throughout the English FA, Uefa, and most visibly through Fifa, the Frenchman has shown to be more cunning, conniving, and ambitious than anyone apart from Sepp Blatter.
The announcement that Euro 2020 would take place across the continent is meant to see 'the Euros coming to the fans'. Of course it is nothing of the sort. It is hard enough trying to work out where to see your country play when confined to one nation, where first or second in the group can send you in wildly different directions, but when it involves moving to different countries at such short notice, arranging travel, accommodation, or simply knowing what currency to have with you? It is a joke.
But that is no surprise. Uefa's appreciation of the fans is a joke, and the fans are the last thing Platini is thinking about. Not sure about that statement? Then why will Euro 2024 revert back to a host nation format?
No, Platini is only concerned with the people that matter - namely sponsors and member associations. Basically, the people who can get him up the career ladder and into the job he craves - Fifa president.
"It is perhaps a bit of a zany idea but it is a good idea. I just bring forward ideas and then national associations have their own meetings and workshops and 52 out of 53 said 'yes'."
It's my idea, but it's not my fault. Power without responsibility, oh how we would all crave that. Obviously 52 out of 53 FAs said yes, they are only thinking about themselves. 40 of those countries never stood a chance of hosting the Euros. 10 of them could not explain politically the merit of spending millions on stadiums and infrastructure they do not really need at a time of economic austerity. And England and Germany have just had the Olympics and a World Cup (and pissed off too many people in football and in politics).
The Platini plan all gives them a slice of a bigger pie. Romania, Bulgaria, Austria, Slovenia, Wales, Scotland, Norway, all these countries can hold one or two group games, perhaps a knockout stage as well. Instead of either building colossus stadiums they cannot fill, these countries can use the one or two big stadia they do have and get in on some of the action. Naturally, the hotel rates, airline tickets, and food and drink prices will shoot up for about two days so the natives can jump on the 2020 bandwagon, but it is only those 'loyal' fans who will pay, so no worries.
The English FA has already proposed Wembley as the final venue (might as well), Serbia might look to get home advantage for one of their games should they qualify, and the only country to vote against those proposals? Why, that's the only country that actually wanted to host the bloody thing - Turkey.
The sponsors are pleased too. "We see a lot of potential...many different locations means being able to showcase our brand across the continent" said an Adidas spokesman, while Carslberg said it was "an interesting idea". So we can expect even bigger sponsorship deals, which means more money to the FAs, and more money to the men in suits.
With everyone except the Turks happy, and even then the dollar signs will soon put a smile on their faces, and sponsors privately lauding Platini, his run to the Fifa hotseat/throne looks very smooth. Vote for me, I've got so many ideas that you can vote on to make us loads of money! And if his candidacy fails? He can simply go back to Uefa and expect 52 votes out of 53, and another decade screwing the fans and pleasing the suits.
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