Soccer-One year on, Platini can look back on a job well done

By Mike Collett

ZAGREB, Jan 30 (Reuters) - UEFA president Michel Platini can reflect on the considerable achievements of his first year in the job when he delivers a keynote speech to the 32nd UEFA Congress on Thursday.

Twelve months since ending Lennart Johansson's 17-year spell at the helm at last year's congress in Duesseldorf, Platini has made big strides in unifying European soccer's often warring factions.

One senior UEFA source told Reuters on Wednesday: "He has done very well, he has stopped all the squabbles, big and small with FIFA and we have concentrated on football matters, what goes on on the field and in the stadiums.

"The time for a change had come last year, and UEFA has benefited, and I think football has benefited as a result of this too."

The most significant development since he took office has been the end of hostilities with the G14 group of Europe's richest and most powerful clubs, who now support, and will become part of, the new planned European Club Association.

The G14 has said it will dissolve itself, and in doing so will withdraw all its outstanding court cases.

Part of this process will also see, for the first time, UEFA and FIFA making financial contributions for players to appear in the European Championship and World Cup.

Another move has been the setting up of the Professional Football Strategy Council involving clubs, UEFA, and others to deal directly with issues concerning the professional game.