The puppy dog eyes and apologies of Michel Platini change nothing

Squirming amongst the pack of journalists Michel Platini, looked like a man of power uncomfortable with the prospect of answering a few tricky questions, whilst simultaneously stuffing his pockets full of £dosh£.

The UEFA president had been collared by a BBC journo as to why the cheapest admission to this year’s Champions League final at Wembley is a monstrous £150, plus a £26 administration fee - with adult-and-child packages starting from a whopping £338.

Having set the price some months ago, Platini has given himself plenty of time to create a suitable excuse for the extortionate price.

He clearly decided against this though and opted for a different tack, instead deciding to come across as a confused man who was searching for an answer himself.

“It was a mistake, it was not good,” he said when questioned about the pricing structure, before elaborating in a sweeping non committal statement that would make any slimy politician proud.

“Perhaps, now, we need another category for families that is less expensive.”

Struggling to satisfy the journo’s hunger for an answer, the former Euro ‘86 winner attempted to pull at the heart strings.

“It is not easy to decide the price of the tickets in the Champions League final,” he said with his best puppy dog eyes.

I doubt however that the assembled media crumbled in sympathy.

He continued, “[But] it was not a good communication and I apologise about that.

Towards the end of his brief rendezvous with the press, Platini struck on an idea that he felt would placate the onslaught of awkward questions.

“We have received 200,000 requests for 10,000 tickets and now, if you want to buy the tickets on the black market, these tickets are 10 times the price that we decided.”

However, he seemingly failed to see the ludicrous logic of his statement.

He is correct in his assumption that the price of the tickets will be greatly inflated, but that would be the case whatever they were priced at, as there are a limited number of places available.

As a result touts inevitably take advantage of the fact tickets aren’t an elastic product and hike up the price.

His assertions are laughable and completely contradict his attempts to unite the professional game with the game played at grass roots level, as he has out priced the common football fan from the game and has turned Europe’s most prodigious match into a giant corporate event.

Christmas has certainly come early for Mr. Platini.

Tags: Abe Van Den Ban, Manchester United, Michel Platini, UEFA Champions League, Wembley