UEFA President Michel Platini: Italian Stadiums Are A Disaster

Platini insists financial fair play will happen, and has told Italy's football powers to get moving on building new stadia.
UEFA president Michel Platini has spelt out the reasons for financial fair play, and said Italian football is still playing catch-up in terms of stadium infrastructure.

Speaking to the Italian press, Platini said he feels Calcio has plenty of housekeeping to do to clean up the image it holds around Europe.

His argument revolves around the state of stadiums.

"Italian football won the World Cup in 2006, and Inter are the current world club champions, but not everything is right," Platini said.

"The stadiums in Italy are not in good condition and the image is not nice because empty stadiums are a real disaster.

"Laws over redevelopment of infrastructure and stadiums is very important.

"Italian football will be backwards without stadiums compared with other European countries."

And the chief took the opportunity to detail his financial fair play plans.

"We will have financial fair play. It's a UEFA congress decision backed by all European clubs," he added.

"All the football families want to do something. European football has lost plenty of money, and I have to help football be careful in future.

"There are difficult things to do, but we have to do them because it means the future of European football."