Eurosport - Tue, 23 Sep 11:32:00 2008
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger admits he is stunned by UEFA president Michel Platini's attack on him in an interview with a French newspaper.
Platini, the head of European football's governing body, fired a couple of broadsides at the Arsenal manager during a frank interview with Grenoble daily Dauphine Libere, which was published on Tuesday.
The former France international slammed Wenger for having a business mentality rather than a football one.
And he also tore into the Gunners boss for calling for the introduction of video replays to rule on questionable refereeing decisions.
Wenger has been taken aback by Platini's criticisms.
"I am stunned by the aggressive content of Platini's words," he told L'Equipe.
"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."
Wenger added: "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 theirs."
In Platini's interview with Dauphine Libere, Wenger's name was raised during a question about the introduction of video technology.
Platini replied: "I like to talk about football, him (Wenger) about business. We must stop with Wenger and all that."
Platini then said he hoped video assistance would never come into football, adding: "It would make me happy that Arsene Wenger never sees it."
Later in the interview, Platini again targeted Wenger when asked about his thoughts on Romanian side CFR Cluj's unexpected victory over Roma in the Champions League last week.
"That is what makes football so great," Platini said. "It is what people like Wenger do not want, little clubs beating the big clubs, because they want their business."
Comment 110 - 129 of 129
There is an adage in Nigeria that say "A CHILD THAT SAID HE CAN RUN MORE THAN HIS FATHER, BUT THE FATHER WILL MAKE HIM UNDERSTAND THAT IT CAN NOT BE UP TO WHAT HE RAN ON HIS MOTHER BEFORE HE WAS BORN" i believe his father no better, that is why he rebuked him,if you dont agree with someone's idea there is a way to say it as a leader, but Platini just show that he havent got the quality of leadership but a mere dictactor pretending to be serious about footballing issue, My advice to Mr platini, THINK DEEPLY BEFORE YOU TALK NEXT TIME, GOODLUCK.
Platini visit a mental hospital you will get lots of comfort there, and there is nobody who will stand up to you
How the mighty fall. Anyone that can remember Platini on the field will tell you what a great player and exceptional talent he was. It's sad to hear his inane rants, it's quite plain that he detests the English game and all that go with it and now he feels the need to attack a fellow countryman plying his trade here. Wenger continues to provide us all, no matter who you support, entertaining football, trust in the players he has, hope to young players in the game and that the dreams of those even younger can be a reality.
mr arsen venger , is a good man with serious attitude , his success with Arsenal ,is telling his own story ,
platini is just jaluos and argent for his own needs ,mr venger thank you thank you thank you,i apload you
All of you are dumb and shallow minded, it’s very parochial for anybody to compare Wenger with Platini. Which club did Wenger played for? Does he play for France? Platini is a football great, he was a talented and skillful player during his days and none of wengers old & present boys can match his skill. Platini is administering a European football organization while Wenger is just administering a club in England. So who is a paper weight?
Quite right MM - right up arsenal
I THINK A.W SHOULD BE PROUD OF HIMSELF TO HAVE MADE THE COMMENT. PLATINI AND HIS 'TEAM' HAS GREATELY EXPOSED THEMSELVE IN SHAME BY THE STUPID REACTION TO MR. WENGER'S PROFESSIONAL OPENION. UP A.W! UP ARSENAL CLUB! UP ENGLAND!!!
Platini is angry because of Wenger's remarks concerning tests of solvency being required for certain league participations. It does not take a mind preoccupied with business to realize that the money spent on salaries and team operation is ludicrous and cannot be sustained under the present rules of the EPL. Platini is a fool not to see trouble ahead...or perhaps a moron !
platini is a nobody his days are over people rarely talk abt it or him Wenger is a scholar, brilliant mind, genius and simply well loved by millions. platini needs spotlight and as usual people who needs spotlight tend to get it from people who are in the spotlight. get a life platini you are insignificant. Wenger the man. notice i type platini with a common letter to start and Wenger plural? shows the importance. be gone
Platini is just a name... Wenger is an idea
The corruption that is deep in the heart of world football ruling bodies UEFA and FIFA run like personal feifdoms by Blatter, Platini and Warner is what Platini protects. He like the other pair of jokers, do not want ideas from managers who are far smarter than them like Wenger. What an accusation to make that Wenger looks at football like business when Wenger has always supported sanity and self sustainance in clubs ie only buy players and pay salaries the team can afford not rely on outside multimillionaires to bankroll pointles extravagance ( like NewCastle). Its Blatter and Co that treat fotball as their personal business and piggy bank to dip their snouts in whenever they want.
As a player i respect platini as a manager of any sorts i question his judgement, he has the right intentions but the perception he gives are not viewed well. He wants to take the game back when he was still a kid, but critizing Arsene wenger harshly for making objective is pure cynicism. I guess if he was in the team that had the phantom goal he wouldnt be saying what he said. In anycase he is a hasbeen trying to get relevance in this game today.....gooooooner
Wenger's awesome, i d like to see other coaches doing what he does with players he doesn t pay million$$$... As a french man, i recognise that platini was a great player... as the president of the fifa...
video has come into rugby and made the game fairer, it has come into tennis and made the game fairer, it has come in cricket and made the game fairer, there are sometimes, u d like it to happen in football...
alex
well, well....so please to see PL fans r now united behind one of their own manager, and as much as I sometimes hate the way Arsenal plays, this is just going to be good for football as a whole. Personally, I think Arsene Wenger is a class act actually. Platini, well, I don't know much about him really, other than his skills that WAS, but surely he couldn't have said that, or could he???
To REAL Premier League and REAL Football fans, BRAVO
Pratini you cant be that dumb surley.
WHAT A COMPLETE ARSE HOLE U ARE PLATINI, HOW CAN YOU INSULT A GOOD MANAGER LIKE THAT, WENGER IS GREAT AT WHAT HE DOES YOU ARE A @#$%, SO SORT YOUR HEAD OUT, YOU FOOL
As a Chelsea fan...even I can see that Arsene Wenger does alot of football...No "Businessman" gives their heart to trying to develop young talent. Its a risky venture at best, but he tries to help these kids launch their careers...
platini is a psycho, dont take his world seriously......
how can a person holding a EUFA President post have a personal war with one of the charges that he was supposed to give support to??? Platini knows s*** about football management and i do not think that he is fit to hold such an important position in football world. he will only bring the level of European football down!
he is the most bias person in the world for giving sides to other leagues especially La Liga but at the same time condemning the English Premier League!
platini is out of order with the wenger staement as he is a good mansger , but the vidio replays will kill the game ie an advert will be put in why they spend a couple of min watching the replay ?? the americans tv companies want a game of 4 halves and time outs so they can put in adverts yes its bad when decisions go against you but do we really need this , it will kill the game it can work in cricket and rugby as they are both slower games but if we get this it be a nail in the football coffin for sure , football is all about mistakes and talking points after the game , football should be looking at the west hams who cheated to stay in the prem and now they should be like other clubd s have 30points deducted this season , 30million is a joke they earn more in prem league in one season , but the london fa will look after another london club , as normal , cheating like that is worse than a missed goal or an offside thats wrong , west ham cheated final and stayed up for it ,
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