MICHEL PLATINI has urged the European parliament to back Uefa plans to cap salaries and protect young players from exploitation.

MICHEL PLATINI has urged the European parliament to back Uefa plans to cap salaries and protect young players from exploitation.

The Uefa President warned MEPs in Brussels that "the values that football represents are in danger".

And the 53-year-old former France captain also described the recruitment of overseas youngsters by Europe's top clubs as "child trafficking".

In a withering attack, he also warned excessive spending by elite clubs could crash because banks may call in excessive credit lines - and insisted it is the clubs themselves who have requested the move to cap costs. He said: "European clubs are currently telling us that our system is in danger of financially imploding in the medium term.

"We are currently looking at the idea of limiting, to a certain degree, a club's expenditure on staff - salary and transfer fees combined - to an as yet undecided percentage of its direct and indirect sporting revenue."

Platini hinted discussions over a salary cap were accelerated by Manchester City's failed £100million bid for AC Milan's Kaka in January.

He added: "Many people have responded by talking about limiting players' wages."