DPA
Munich

Bayern Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge backs UEFA president Michel Platini to head football world governing body FIFA and rules himself out of as a possible future head of Europe’s federation.
In an interview with dpa to coincide with his 60th birthday today, Rummenigge also says he is “optimistic” Bayern’s Spanish coach Pep Guardiola will stay at the German champions beyond his current contract which ends in June next year.
Although head of the European Club Association (ECA), Rummenigge says he is not interested in heading a football federation as he would miss the excitement of being involved in club football.
“I will carry on my duties as intensively as possible at Bayern. How long for I can’t say, but afterwards the football chapter should be over. I definitely do not aspire to any federation career,” he said.
Rummenigge, who won 95 caps for West Germany between 1976 and 1986 and played in two losing World Cup finals in 1982 and 1986, is supporting former France international Platini as successor to FIFA president Joseph Blatter. A FIFA extraordinary congress in Zurich February 26 will decide on a new president.
“Michel Platini, with whom I get on well, has a talent: he can bring people together,” Rummenigge said.
“Especially now with the current problems concerning FIFA it is important to restore confidence. From the outside one has the impression that FIFA is divided. An incredible egotism prevails.  Europe has different interests than Africa, Africa different to Asia, Asia different to South America.
“I would have confidence in Michel being able to reunify the football world. He will have to bring in reforms, but the first step has to be that he becomes president.”
Rummenigge plans to sit down with Guardiola later in the year to discuss a possible contract extension.
Guardiola has led Bayern to two successive league titles after succeeding Jupp Heynckes but the Champions League campaign in the past two season has ended at the semi-final stage. Bayern have got off to a perfect start in Guardiola’s third season with six wins out of six in the Bundesliga.  “One thing is clear: we have a good team. And a good team needs a good coach,” Rummenigge said.
“We had one in Jupp Heynckes, and we have one now in Pep Guardiola. I am definitely optimistic that Pep will stay beyond June 30, 2016.
“The coach feels good. He has a good team. It helps to have Munich as a city. There’s a lot going for Pep Guardiola deciding for Bayern Munich.”
Rummenigge, who was twice voted European footballer of the year, has followed other Bayern playing greats in Franz Beckenbauer and Uli Hoeness in key management positions at the club and said both had been an “inspiration” to work alongside.
From his playing days to the board room he has seen football develop into “big business” and Bayern become a major commercial undertaking and one of Europe’s most successful clubs.
He says the task now is to keep Bayern at the top, for which the Bundesliga will also need to catch up with European rivals on the money it makes from television deals. Asked if he would like to turn back the clock and be a young player of 20 again, he said: “I don’t have to be 20 again but the time as a player was the best.