UEFA president Michel Platini has called on the elite clubs' group G14 to
disband and drop its lawsuits claiming compensation for players injured on
international duty.
Platini called G14 'elitist' and said it was time for football to put an end
to its 'quarrels'.
He told UEFA's extraordinary congress in Zurich that a new body, the
Professional Football Strategy Council, would provide a forum for clubs to air
their grievances.
He said: 'Now we can put an end to our quarrels, we can stop seeing each
other before the courts, we can stop making a spectacle of ourselves in front of
the whole of Europe.
'I call officially on the major and important clubs in European football to
disband their elitist grouping, to withdraw the various lawsuits that they have
brought before the courts, and to join together with all the other clubs to
engage in a fruitful, productive and democratic dialogue with the other members
of the European football family.
'Presidents and heads of the major clubs - let us profit from your great
experience and your ideas.
'Tell us about your convictions. UEFA's door is wide open - join us, and I
promise you that you will not be disappointed.
'I am convinced that you will hear this appeal, because it is being made in
the sense of history, and with progress at the service of football in mind.'
The congress agreed to change UEFA's statutes so that Platini takes over the
role of chief executive as well.
The former chief executive's title now becomes 'general secretary' - with
former Scottish FA chief executive David Taylor appointed to the role.
