BERNE, Switzerland - Newly-elected UEFA president Michel Platini has called for the creation of an international police force to deal specifically with sports-related violence.

UEFA President Michel Platini talks to media during a news conference at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon March 6, 2007. [Reuters]

Such a body could help to tackle hooliganism, corruption and betting scandals and aid attempts to ban known offenders from stadiums, Platini told a briefing at UEFA's headquarters in Nyon.

"We live in a violent world today and, unfortunately, this violent world is transferred to within our preferred sport," Platini was quoted by UEFA's Web site (www.uefa.com) as saying at the briefing.

"We have policing organisms for the internet and music, for example, but not for sport, which carries great importance in the world."

Platini said he applauded the decision by Italian authorities to suspend matches following the death of a policeman during rioting at a Serie A game in Sicily last month.

"It is time something was done," he added. "We cannot continue like this."

In the last fortnight, authorities in France, Germany, Spain and Serbia have also had to deal with violent incidents linked to soccer.

Platini, who was elected UEFA president in January, said he would be sounding out opinions on the idea and seeking the support of other sporting bodies including world soccer's governing body FIFA and the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

In an interview with French RTL radio, Platini said he hoped the French football authorities would deal with rioting fans at the St Etienne-Olympique Lyon derby on Saturday when play was halted for 20 minutes.

"I hope the French League will take good disciplinary measures", he said.

"I was unpleasantly suprised by the athmosphere before the match, and I was unpleasantly surprised by what happened in the stadium at the interval."

Platini was refering to a banner deployed by St Etienne fans depicting Lyon players as animals with the slogan "Kill Them".

"This is not worthy of a great club like St Etienne," said Platini, who spent part of his playing career there.