AKIPRESS.COM - In his address to the XXXVIII Ordinary UEFA Congress in Astana, Kazakhstan, UEFA President Michel Platini unveiled several measures, including the launch of a new programme to set up and develop football academies for promising young players, and the creation of a UEFA children's foundation, the UEFA press office reported.

The UEFA President emphasised UEFA's opposition to third-party ownership of players. Mr Platini recalled that UEFA is celebrating its 60th birthday this year. "What exactly did our founding fathers have in mind when they established this institution of ours?" asked the UEFA President. "They had two major objectives: to develop football across the continent, and to ensure that as many people as possible benefit from its role in society.

"Today, the time has come to refocus on those two fundamental objectives. We need to return to our roots – to go back to basics. We need to refocus on our core tasks, on our social purpose and our raison d'être." Mr Platini explained that UEFA had launched numerous projects in recent years to further football's development – these included development tournaments for boys and girls, increasing final-round fields in UEFA competitions, new concepts such as the "EURO for Europe" in 2020, technical exchange programmes and the appointment of Sir Alex Ferguson as UEFA coaching ambassador in January.

Mr Platini spoke of the right of children to discover football's joy, saying: "They have the right to play the game in the best environment possible, and we have a duty to help them. That is why we will be extending our partnerships with your governments with a view, under your guidance, to making football the number one sport in all of your countries' schools."

Turning to the creation of a UEFA children's foundation, Mr Platini said the move came out of a desire by UEFA to help as many people as possible to benefit from football's role in society. "The UEFA Executive Committee approved the principle of creating this foundation the day before yesterday," he reflected. "We will now embark on the implementation of this project, with all the enthusiasm and fervour of people who know that what they are doing is right.

On the topic of third-party ownership of players, the UEFA President was unequivocal about "a problem which particularly worries me. I have been constantly warning for years that this practice – which is becoming increasingly widespread – is a danger to our sport. It threatens the integrity of our competitions, damages football's image, poses a long-term threat to clubs' finances and even raises questions about human dignity.

Mr Platini expressed the view that, although UEFA may have reached the age of 60, the body was more active than ever. "These projects stem from two fundamental priorities – priorities that are fully in line with the aims of UEFA's founding fathers: developing football in Europe; and ensuring that football fully plays its role within our society." For example, the new UEFA Women in Leadership programme, he said, looked to establish "real equal opportunity initiatives. Equality of opportunity is a value that is inherent in football." Respecting diversity, helping ethnic minorities and giving all supporters the right to indulge their passion in football are all key components of UEFA's social vision.