Platini hails new spirit of unity in European soccer

By Mike Collett

ZAGREB (Reuters) - UEFA president Michel Platini said on Thursday that a new spirit of unity in European football and a renewed atmosphere of respect were the highlights of his first year in office.

Platini, elected president a year ago in Dusseldorf, opened the 32nd UEFA Congress in the Croatian capital and told delegates from the 53 member associations that the achievements of the past year were "almost unhoped for".

"My hope when I was elected was to reunify football in Europe. It was high time to stop the quarrelling and to show respect for all members of the football family.

"It was time to stop tearing each other apart and making out that we could not understand each other."

The most significant development of the past 12 months towards reaching that goal followed a plea by Platini at UEFA's extraordinary congress in Zurich last May.

"When I asked the big clubs to abandon elitism it was a friendly piece of advice and not an ultimatum. European football had become a bit schizophrenic in its structure.

"Clubs now recognise the importance of national teams. If players are the soul of football, then clubs are the heart of football.

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