Michael Platini's Feud Against Arsene Wenger: No Class

On one side of this sparring match, we have Frenchman Michael Platini, the president of Uefa and the other, good old Arsene Wenger, manager of Arsenal FC. Both were friends for many years but ever since Platini ascends the lofty position of Uefa president, relationships have been strained.

Wenger and Platini were embroiled in a bitter feud again this week, thanks to an interview Platini gave to Dauphine Libere. Let’s look at the comments which Platini raged about.

1. “I like to talk about football, him (Wenger) about business. We must stop with Wenger and all that.”

2. “It would make me happy that Arsene Wenger never sees it (video assistance).”

3. When asked about his thoughts on Romanian side CFR Cluj’s unexpected victory over Roma in the Champions League last week, Platini said: “That is what makes football so great. It is what people like Wenger do not want, little clubs beating the big clubs, because they want their business.”

Arsene Wenger responded promptly and indicates his shock at being swiped by the president of football’s governing body in Europe.

“I am stunned by the aggressive content of Platini’s words. I am effectively a supporter of video assistance for referees, like all coaches, and I believe UEFA have an important role to play in this. I am for sporting justice and UEFA must be the guarantor of it. I am a supporter of good management of clubs, for financial equilibrium.

“And UEFA must equally support this idea. I am fighting for the future of the game and of football. I don’t see why UEFA should take umbrage at ideas that are different from their own.”

During his reign, Michael Platini was not shy to engage in controversial issues but he was often way off the mark. This latest attack on Arsene Wenger came as a surprise to me, not for its hollowness, but for its ferocity on a fellow countryman.

While I beg to differ with Wenger’s football philosophy at times, especially his selective blindness and reluctance to develop England players en-route to achieving honors for Arsenal; in this instance, I feel Wenger is hard done by.

One minute Platini is lamenting that football clubs neglect their financial affairs, the next, he attacks Wenger for caring only “about business.” Double standards in his concern on football’s developments, indeed.

Why berate about the disparity between the rich and poor in football? The salary scale of super stars is not something new. It was prevalent in Spain and Italy since the 80s, but of late, has taken on mammoth proportions in the Premier League due to the influx of money from foreign owners.

Arsene Wenger is not solely responsible for such trends in football. If anything, he regularly loses his best players to poachers from bigger clubs.

Let’s be clear that I have a healthy respect for Michael Platini’s achievements as a world-class footballer. As captain of the French national team, he steered his country to the 1984 European Championship, where he shone as the best player and top goalscorer. In fact, he holds the record for most goals (9) scored in European Championship despite only featuring once in this competition.

Donning the jersey of Juventus, Platini blitzed Serie A as top scorer for three consecutive seasons (1982 to 1985) and won a hat-trick of European Footballer of the Year awards (1983 through 1985). In his prime, his passing, finishing and free-kicks were legendary. Bobby Charlton once commented: “What a playmaker. He could thread the ball through the eye of a needle as well as finish.”

However, in Platini’s current role as Uefa President, I feel he should help himself preserve a shred of dignity by talking less. It is unbecoming of a football supremo to single out a manager and interfere so ostensibly in his job. Platini has been accused of being a complacent man who is out of touch with reality and his vitriol only serves to reinforce that image.

I suspect a tinge of jealousy in Platini from the way Arsene Wenger has blossomed from a mediocre player into a high-flying manager. Conversely, Michael Platini’s best days are now behind him.

His achievements on the pitch are undisputed, but since his retirement as a player, he has yet to taste the same adulation and fame. The title of Uefa President may seem prestigious but praises don’t come easily in this capacity. To put it simply, holding high office is a different ball game.

Be a leader who sleeps on the job or presses for tough reforms which could alienate the governing body from the fans, clubs and football associations. In either case, getting recognition is a tough act. I believe Platini will like to distinguish himself from past presidents but so far, he has not accomplished anything noteworthy.

Actually, if Platini is intent on gaining respect from his peers, there are several topics which he can champion. The excesses of clubs like Real Madrid, Barcelona, Chelsea, Manchester United and now Manchester City have pumped up transfer prices to a ludicrous level.

If football clubs are self-sufficient and have the resources to splurge, then by all means, but one should tread carefully when heavy leverage and foreign owners are the passport to bulging transfer budgets. What happen to the clubs when the sugar daddies are gone or when gate receipts, merchandise sales, Champions League prospects fall short? Just think Leeds United.

Then, there are issues of racism against players like Emile Heskey, vicious insults hurled on Sol Campbell which affected his mental stability, and the regular outbreaks of violence in the Serie A. If manipulated skilfully and effective steps taken to eradicate these abhorrent behavior, Platini stands to gain significant political mileage.

And not to forget, the plethora of ugly fouls, dubious goals and offside which are clearly at the mercy of subjective judgments from match officials. A revolutionary introduction of video technology and replays may cut down on human errors and prevent teams from being unfairly penalized. Arsenal are not the cleanest players on the pitch, so when they are in support of video technology, the world should give Wenger a thumbs up.

As Mark Twain says, it is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt. From now on, Platini should shut his mouth up or at least choose his war judiciously.

What do you guys think of the Michael Platini’s feud against Arsene Wenger?