Just as the cavernous conference hall at Astana’s Palace of Independence was being cleared away and the delegates from 54 countries were being chauffeured to the Kazakh capital’s airport past dozens of weird futuristic-looking buildings, in a side room Michel Platini unbuttoned his jacket and leaned back in relaxed, almost triumphant mood.
The president of UEFA knew the job had been done, that he had pressed all the right buttons during his organisation’s annual congress and received the support he needed to carry on leading his flock.
This had been very much Platini’s gig. Yet he knew that what the UEFA membership, and many others way beyond, really wanted to know was whether this would be his last Congress as a sitting president? This time next year, would he still be up for captaining the UEFA ship? Or did he have a more challenging plan in mind involving a larger, more prestigious vessel but one which too often finds itself being steered into dangerously choppy waters?
Platini knows better that anyone that if – and it’s a big if – he does decide to go for the leadership of FIFA, trying to reconcile the different affiliations of 209 nations from six confederations will be a far harder task than representing the interests of one Continent.
He said as much during a post-Congress briefing with a small group of selected journalists. Does he stay in his comfort zone or does he throw himself at the mercy of a politically diverse and often squabbling set of global football administrators, many of whom have totally different agendas?
The answer, the Frenchman assured us, is that he has still not made up his mind and that he will hold further discussions with various regional groupings in the coming months. Yet whether intentionally or not, Platini set the tone in Astana for what promises an intriguing buildup to declarations for the FIFA presidential election in late May, 2015.
It wasn’t only what he said during his opening address to delegates that got tongues wagging, it was the way he said it. Rarely has any confederation chief taken it upon himself to have a go in public against Sepp Blatter. Yet here was Platini, looking straight down at the veteran Swiss from the safety of the podium, telling the head of world football to get his act together when it came to Third Party Ownwership, or UEFA would act unilaterally.
Courageous or foolhardy? Assertive or indiscreet? The jury is still out but whether you agreed with him or not, Platini’s bullish approach, calling for action rather than bureaucracy, displayed a chutzpah about the man that is an infectious trait.
Platini displayed more of the same frankness in his briefing with reporters later, declaring that he was the only potential FIFA presidential candidate who could possibly beat Blatter. If Platini was digging a giant hole for himself, it certainly didn’t appear to worry him unduly.
His take on other pressing issues provided equally good value. What did he make, for instance, of the apparent foiled plot to stop FIFA prosecutor Michael Garcia carrying out his anti-corruption investigation, as reported by INSIDEworldfootball?
Platini insisted he was not aware of any covert plan to halt Garcia’s investigations in its tracks but said he would never support such a move. “I would be the first to fight against it,” he said. “Of course his work must continue, absolutely no doubt about it.”
Platini was one of those interviewed by Garcia during the American lawyer’s unannounced visit to Zurich last week as part of his probe into the voting process for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups that led to a spate of FIFA officials either resigning or being thrown out and which has caused so much suspicion.
What did Garcia want to know? “He asked me who I voted for and why,” said Platini. “I had no problem in using my vote for Russia. Europe has had 10 World Cups but none in Russia, and Qatar is a new frontier.”
To his credit, there are few subjects Platini avoided. Take compatriot Nicolas Anelka’s infamous Nazi-style quenelle gesture that landed the former international striker in almost boiling water.
“Anelka is not stupid and knew what he was doing but perhaps he thought he could get away with it by doing it in England,” said Platini. “Just because he is a great player it does not mean Anelka is a great role model.”
It wasn’t all plain sailing, however, in this vast remote eastern European country that straddles Asia and is still locked in late winter, with sub-zero temperatures and a thick layer of snow on the ground.
A small group of western journalists attending the Congress missed the welcoming address from the Kazakh prime minister and country’s football boss, hardly the best exercise in self-promotion for one of Europe’s less heralded UEFA members eager to showcase its attributes.
For some reason our driver didn’t know the way and had to be redirected – twice. Then, on arrival, a burly Kazakh official wearing thick gloves and combat gear and speaking no English couldn’t be persuaded that the words ‘Media Entrance’ meant just that. Round and round we walked in increasing frustration until eventually being let in.
Why, one might ask, did UEFA choose Kazakhstan for its annual shindig in the first place, especially given the distances involved and lack of direct international flights? It’s all to do with politics and diplomacy, to give the region a rare chance to strike a blow for being accepted into the European football family.
And, who knows, it may have ended up being a pivotal occasion. Next year UEFA’s Congress moves to Vienna when Europe’s governing body holds its own presidential election. Will the outcome still be Michel Platini? Even a betting man wouldn’t dare say for sure at this point in time.
Andrew Warshaw was formerly Sports Editor of the The European newspaper and is chief correspondent of Insideworldfootball. Contact Andrew at moc.l1714023295labto1714023295ofdlr1714023295owdis1714023295ni@wa1714023295hsraw1714023295.werd1714023295na1714023295