Under-fire Platini finds task of effecting change cannot simply be achieved with one sublime, defence-splitting pass

Insideworldfootball

Poor Michel Platini. Do you not feel sorry for him? A wonderful footballer, he exchanges his shorts for a suit and becomes an administrator. Under his Presidency, UEFA hosts a European football competition that everyone says is one of the best in recent memory, if not the best ever.

The fears that it will lead to racist violence, and that players might even walk off during a match if they are racially abused, prove unfounded. The football is gripping, indeed so gripping that it brings back memories of great tournaments such as the Mexico World Cup of 42 years past. The Euros concludes with fascinating debates as to whether present-day Spain is better than the 1970 Brazil of Pelé and company and whether they deserve the title of the best football team ever.