UEFA member federations are under pressure from influential
clubs to play fewer matches by scrapping some international friendly dates and
cutting the size of qualifying groups for the World Cup and European
Championship.
Federation presidents and chief executives also will meet
Europe's eight representatives on FIFA's 24-man executive committee four weeks
before FIFA President Sepp Blatter unveils his detailed anti-corruption reforms
to clean up world football.
First, UEFA President Michel Platini wants the brainstorming
session in Limassol to help set priorities for his second four-year term in
office, which he secured unopposed by acclaim last March.
"I wanted to have the opportunity to reflect and to
discuss with all the 53 member associations on the core issues affecting the
future of European football," Platini said in a statement. "These two
days are an excellent time to discuss openly, in a relaxed manner, around subjects
like youth and women football, or the development of national teams
competitions." Platini is focusing on international football after he made
reforming the club game the main goal of his busy first term.
The former France great pushed through "financial fair
play" rules to curb club spending, helped create and fund the European
Club Association, which has often challenged Blatter's authority, and revamped
the Champions League and Europa League competitions.
Clubs made wealthier and more powerful by the Champions
League also resent handing over their players for national team friendlies, and
want June and August dates scrapped.
Europe's federations are largely funded by the national team
and want Platini to boost its status and secure their financial future. For
this, they have handed UEFA centralized control of commercial rights to their
qualifiers in hope of getting a better deal.
At Platini's request, UEFA also expanded the 16-nation
European Championship to 24 teams from Euro 2016 onward. Yet many commentators
fear more teams means less drama in qualifying and poorer quality at the final
tournament.
The future of Olympic football — another source of club vs.
country conflict — is also up for discussion in Cyprus.
UEFA and clubs prefer a tournament for under-21 players, but
FIFA has bowed to International Olympic Committee pressure to keep eligibility
open to older, higher-profile players.
Platini is currently favored to succeed Blatter as FIFA
president in 2015, and his position on world football issues is being watched.
UEFA and FIFA are united in protecting their legal authority
to run football, and recent challenges in civil courts by Swiss club FC Sion
are likely to be noted as a warning sign on the sidelines of the Cyprus summit.
Platini is scheduled to sum up the progress at the two-day
meeting after a subsequent meeting of the UEFA executive committee ends Friday.
