“His actions did not show commitment to an ethical attitude, failing to respect all applicable laws and regulations as well as FIFA’s regulatory framework to the extent applicable to him and demonstrating an abusive execution of his position as Vice-President of FIFA and member of the FIFA Executive Committee.” “Mr Platini failed to act with complete credibility and integrity, showing unawareness of the importance of his duties and concomitant obligations and responsibilities,” read the findings. The FIFA committee was damning, however, in its assessment of his conduct. One of the modern game’s greatest players, Platini captained France as European champions in 1984 and was also named European footballer of the year three times in an illustrious career. While Blatter had long been associated with some of FIFA’s more unsavory business practises, Platini had initially put himself forward as football’s great white knight, and was until recently favorite to win FIFA’s presidential election in February. The committee cannot go against the President.” “Even if I am suspended, I am still President. The embattled- and now disgraced- Blatter was defiant in a press statement made shortly the announcement of the verdict. He had already stated that he would not be standing for re-election in the upcoming FIFA presidential election in February next year. The 79-year-old Blatter has been FIFA president since 1998. Though both men are expected to appeal the decision at the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, it is difficult to see a short term way back into the sport for either Blatter or Platini. The timing of the payment, coming shortly after Platini agreed not to stand against Blatter in the 2011 FIFA presidential election had raised some eyebrows. Both men have strenuously denied any wrongdoing with the payment, claiming it was part of an agreement for work carried out by Platini on Blatter’s behalf for work he undertook as a presidential adviser from 1999-2002. The lengthy bans come after a $2 million payment in 2011 from Blatter to Platini- described by the investigation as a “disloyal” payment- was uncovered. At the time, the former French soccer star was a FIFA vice president.īut Platini was sidelined by FIFA in late 2015, when the body's ethics committee suspended him from all soccer-related activities for eight years, citing a $2 million payment it said Platini received from FIFA when Blatter was its president.Outgoing FIFA president Sepp Blatter and UEFA boss Michel Platini- until recently the favorite to succeed Blatter in football’s top job- have both been banned from any football activities for eight years by a FIFA ethics investigation. Just four years ago, Platini was the powerful head of Europe's football association and was seen as the heir apparent to then-FIFA President Sepp Blatter. News of Platini's arrest gripped the world of international football. The French police agency, known by the acronym OCLCIFF, specializes in complex cases involving financial fraud, corruption and breaches of integrity. Platini, 63, was taken into police custody Tuesday and is now at the offices of France's anti-corruption judicial police in Nanterre, according to the French website Mediapart, which was first to report the news. Platini is also a former vice president of FIFA, soccer's international governing body. French former soccer great and former UEFA head Michel Platini, seen here in 2018, was detained Tuesday for questioning related to the inquiry into FIFA's awarding of the 2020 World Cup to Qatar.įrench anti-corruption police have arrested former UEFA President Michel Platini in a case related to "Qatargate" - the ongoing investigations into how Qatar was awarded the 2022 World Cup.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |