LONDON, May 24: UEFA President Michel Platini wants to establish a European sports police force to tackle betting, corruption, match-fixing, doping and hooliganism.

Addressing the UEFA Congress in London on Friday, Platini said that his previous calls have been ignored by governments for six years.

“Given the absence of any reaction and the lack of awareness on the part of politicians, I renew that call today,” Platini said. “And if, by misfortune, this call again falls on deaf ears, I ask that each country, at the very least, adopts specific provisions of national legislation addressing the issue of match-fixing, in order to finally have the legal tools necessary to rigorously punish these cheats.”

Only 10 nations have such provisions, Platini said.

Europol, the European Union police liaison agency, said in February that it reviewed 680 suspicious recent cases of match-fixing.

Platini said that manipulating matches “strikes at the soul of our sport, the very essence of the game”.

Platini said: “We are protecting our sport from this scourge with all the means at our disposal but, unfortunately, that is sometimes not enough.

“We are not dealing with petty criminals who are looking to make ends meet; it would seem that we are, in some instances, dealing with mafia-type organisations that are using certain matches to launder money, tarnishing our sport in the process.”

He said UEFA was taking stronger steps to battle discrimination, adding: “How many children of immigrants have found it easier to integrate into their new country thanks to football? Sometimes football succeeds where schools and public services fail.

“However, we must not bury our heads in the sand. Discrimination, be it racial or sexual, is still present in football today. And we owe it to ourselves to act.”

Platini also put UEFA’s Financial Fair Play scheme in the spotlight and spoke of the worrying financial situation at certain clubs in Europe.

“To ensure that the current system doesn’t collapse and the bubble doesn’t burst, it is the duty of UEFA to intervene and it shall be the duty of independent bodies to punish the few clubs who have not realised that football cannot live above its means,” he insisted.

European football leaders are gathering in London ahead of the Champions League final on Saturday between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund at Wembley Stadium.

The congress was opened by Prince William, the second in line to the British throne who is president of the English Football Association. “My money is on Bayern Munich 2-0,” the Duke of Cambridge quipped.

UEFA General Secretary Gianni Infantino also confirmed plans to enhance the status of the Europa League. The winners of the Europa League will automatically qualify for a place in the lucrative Champions League from 2015.

Sixteen teams rather than the current six will also qualify directly for the group stages of UEFA’s second-tier tournament in a bid to boost its prestige and attraction to sponsors.

The decision was taken after detailed discussions between the European Club Association comprising Europe’s top clubs and UEFA and the change will come into affect after the current TV contract for the Champions League expires in 2015.

The Europa League has long been seen as an also-ran competition for clubs missing out on the Champions League.

The change announced by UEFA means clubs taking part in the Europa League may treat it more seriously and field stronger teams because it offers a path into the elite competition the following season.

“As was proven with this year’s magnificent final, the UEFA Europa League has gone from strength to strength, but we wanted to give clubs a further incentive, so that all of them play with a desire to win the competition,”Platini said.

“By guaranteeing access to the UEFA Champions League for the winners, we are convinced that the UEFA Europa League will increase its appeal for clubs and their supporters.”—Agencies