For now, the former official suggests avoiding radical measures and leaving 10 players on the field from both sides.
“We have been playing in teams of 11 since 1900, but then the players ran less and slower than today, they were physically weaker,” Platini explained (quoted by RIA Novosti), noting that reducing the number of players “would free up space on the field.”
He also spoke out against the abolition of offside, calling it “the most intelligent rule in football.”
Michel Platini was head of UEFA from 2007 to 2015 and was removed from his post due to an investigation into corruption at the International Football Federation (FIFA).
As a player, he was crowned European champion in 1984 and received the Ballon d’Or three years in a row (1983, 1984 and 1985). According to the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS), Platini is one of the ten best footballers of the 20th century.
