Germany

Platini: More Referees Are Needed On The Pitch

After seeing Adriano's goal in the Milan derby, the UEFA president has expressed his opinion on the way these kinds of decisions are made.

Feb 18, 2009 8:21:42 AM

Michel Platini, President of the UEFA (firo)

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Michel Platini, President of the UEFA (firo)

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Michel Platini once scored the perfect hat-trick in a game at the 1984 European Championships, one goal with each foot and the other with his head. Now, the UEFA president has seen Adriano’s goal against Milan, and he believes it was far from perfect.

The Frenchman’s answer is novel however. Instead of berating officials, he has taken a different approach, as Il Corriere dello Sport reports, “If there had been an extra official on the pitch he would have seen the handball, what is needed is not more technology, but more referees.

“If we increased the number of referees, we would cut out 80 per cent of errors of this kind.”

The one time Juventus forward also wants to ban international transfers for players who are under 18-years-old.

“Everyone is angry when we discover a child that has to work in a factory, but nobody looks into very young footballers being bought by foreign clubs, being completely removed from reality and flown all round the world.”

Simone Finaldi, Goal.com