UEFA President Platini Ensured of Second Term in 2011

UEFA president Michel Platini is ensured of serving a second four-year term at the helm of European football's governing body after no other candidates entered the race by the December 22 deadline.

Platini will be formally re-elected on March 22 at the UEFA Congress in Paris. His second term as UEFA president will run from 2011 until 2015.

The hallmarks of Platini's first term are his fervent effort to introduce financial fair play rules, and to make the top-tier Champions League more accessible for clubs from smaller European countries in the group stage. He also overhauled the former UEFA Cup into the Europa League to rejuvenate the second-tier competition.

Thanks to Platini, new regulations in 2012 will help prevent clubs from spending wildly beyond their means on player salaries and other expenses to gain an advantage over their rivals. The UEFA chief has said he considers such a practice as a kind of cheating.

Platini was one of football's greatest players. The former France captain helped his country win the 1984 European Championship. He went on to coach the French national team from 1988 to 1992.