UEFA president Michel Platini is attempting to set up a financial control board within European football's governing body after being alerted by the "worrying" trend of foreign ownership of English Premier League clubs.
Manchester City are the latest English outfit to be bought out by foreign investors, the Abu Dhabi United Group completing their takeover of the club on Tuesday.
The likes of Manchester United, Aston Villa, Liverpool and Chelsea are already owned by overseas businessmen and Platini, European football's supremo, has decided to act.
He is trying to establish a European equivalent to France's National Board of Control and Management (DNCG), an association that acts as the country's 'financial policeman' in professional football.
"I am worried by this, of course," he told French newspaper Sud Ouest.
"I am trying to alert the authorities but this is the liberalism of the English - what can we do?
"On the other hand, I am in the process of working to put in place a European DNCG. I have meetings lined up with experts to find out what paths we can take."
When asked if that was being done in an attempt to establish equality between clubs, Platini added: "We would like that, but there will always be clubs a lot richer than others.
"And we can't fix the same rules for everyone simply because the tax system, or the centralisation of TV rights for example, aren't the same in France and in Spain.
"These are national problems which I can't fight against."
Platini, meanwhile, performed a U-turn by claiming he was too harsh in criticising Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger in a frank interview with Grenoble paper Dauphine Libere, which was published on Tuesday.
The former France international slammed Wenger for having a business mentality and also tore into the Gunners boss for calling for the introduction of video replays to rule on questionable refereeing decisions.
Platini has also given his backing to under-fire France coach Raymond Domenech, whose job is on the line after the country's poor showing at Euro 2008 and their inauspicious start to their World Cup 2010 qualifying campaign.
A defeat to Romania could mark the end of Domenech's reign but Platini believes the French Football Federation should stick by their man.
"I have supported the coach who is in place because I think it is easier to keep someone who knows the youngsters well rather than bring in someone new," he said.
"He has taken his team to a World Cup final (in 2006) - he can't have become bad two years later."
The likes of Manchester United, Aston Villa, Liverpool and Chelsea are already owned by overseas businessmen and Platini, European football's supremo, has decided to act.
He is trying to establish a European equivalent to France's National Board of Control and Management (DNCG), an association that acts as the country's 'financial policeman' in professional football.
"I am worried by this, of course," he told French newspaper Sud Ouest.
"I am trying to alert the authorities but this is the liberalism of the English - what can we do?
"On the other hand, I am in the process of working to put in place a European DNCG. I have meetings lined up with experts to find out what paths we can take."
When asked if that was being done in an attempt to establish equality between clubs, Platini added: "We would like that, but there will always be clubs a lot richer than others.
"And we can't fix the same rules for everyone simply because the tax system, or the centralisation of TV rights for example, aren't the same in France and in Spain.
"These are national problems which I can't fight against."
Platini, meanwhile, performed a U-turn by claiming he was too harsh in criticising Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger in a frank interview with Grenoble paper Dauphine Libere, which was published on Tuesday.
The former France international slammed Wenger for having a business mentality and also tore into the Gunners boss for calling for the introduction of video replays to rule on questionable refereeing decisions.
Platini has also given his backing to under-fire France coach Raymond Domenech, whose job is on the line after the country's poor showing at Euro 2008 and their inauspicious start to their World Cup 2010 qualifying campaign.
A defeat to Romania could mark the end of Domenech's reign but Platini believes the French Football Federation should stick by their man.
"I have supported the coach who is in place because I think it is easier to keep someone who knows the youngsters well rather than bring in someone new," he said.
"He has taken his team to a World Cup final (in 2006) - he can't have become bad two years later."
Copyright (c) Press Association
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