The Uefa president, Michel Platini, said on Friday that the warning lights were flashing and he fears for the future of professional football if the game does not urgently clean up its act.
Platini, stressing that he was giving his personal view, told reporters in Monte Carlo in his traditional season-opening message: "I can see lots of red lights flashing and I am afraid for the future of football which is going pear-shaped in some areas."