I don’t have an ulterior motive, I swear!
Every once in a while, someone does something surprising. Something so seemingly out of character that it simply must be commented upon. This is one of those times.
It’s true that we give Michel Platini a pretty hard time around here. As much as I love him for his play with Les Bleus, even I must admit that his tenure as UEFA president has seen numerous ludicrous decisions and pronouncements. I once tried to defend some of his ramblings and wound up giving him an overall grade of C (how pleasantly average).
Yesterday, however, Platini was in Yerevan (the capital of Armenia) to receive a Medal of Honor from the Armenian Football Federation for helping to develop youth football in the former Soviet republic. UEFA funded two-thirds of the $12M project to build a state-of-the-art football academy, which begin in 2007 shortly after Platini’s election. The French footballer had been present for the ground-breaking ceremony, and he returned for the opening as a sign of UEFA’s support for the growth of football in nations outside of the traditional powerhouses.
The academy contains six full pitches, and recently hosted both the senior and the Under-21 sides before recent qualifying matches. All told, the complex is capable of holding nearly 1,000 youngsters for training both on and off the pitch. Platini seemed impressed with the facilities, noting that “it will benefit young players in Armenia [and] it is very important to give youngsters the opportunity to enjoy the game, and today is like a dream come true for a lot of young people here”. Of course, he didn’t want those youth getting too optimistic, either, stating “[i]t is not a question of producing world-class talent here, rather of giving young people an opportunity to enjoy the game.”
Skeptics have noted that Platini met with Armenian president Serzh Sargsyan and Ruben Hayrapetyan (head of the Armenian Football Federation), as well as Gagik Tsarukyan (head of the Armenian Olympic Committee), and argue that he is simply trying to enlist allies in his bid for the FIFA presidency. However, Platini said (all the way back in March) that he would be running for a 2nd term as UEFA president, and he has confirmed that in recent weeks, aligning with Asian Football Confederation president Mohamed Bin Hammam in support of Sepp Blatter’s re-election.
So why is Platini so interested in Armenian football? He’s clearly a huge Charles Aznavour fan:
Count me as a fan of Aznavour as well.
I have soft spot for Platini since I wore “his” boots forever – Patrick Platini Supers. Man, I loved those things.
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I’d like him to do some good, so I don’t have to feel bad for liking him. How’s that for pressure Michel? Go do some more good, dammit.
@Wedel: That would be crush-depth pressure if it were applied to Sepp.
Is Platini just sitting in for Truffaut in that picture? Showing you how to do the hand signals?