Four months later, Platini bites back. At the end of November he filed a complaint with the Paris court for public defamation. According to the French newspaper L’Equipe, a civil claim for damages was registered on December 19.
Platini’s complaint is against three former FIFA executives over public statements made against him in 2015 and 2016, in interviews or press releases.
The complaint also names a fourth person, a member of a Swiss judicial institution.
The case against Platini (pictured right) over payment for work done for FIFA between 1998 and 2002 (the payment was only made in 2011) came to light in 2015. At the time, Platini was running for the FIFA presidency against his former mentor Sepp Blatter, who was also being investigated by Swiss prosecutors over the payment.
The result was that Platini, then UEFA president, and Blatter had to withdraw from the FIFA presidential elections while Swiss prosecutors investigated. Platini’s European support was secured by his general secretary Gianni Infantino (pictured left), who was seen as a deputy for Platini, who was expected to return to the elections once the investigation was completed. The investigation proceeded slowly and in June 2016 Infantino reached the top of world football’s slippery pole and was elected FIFA president.
Platini has always maintained that there was a conspiracy against him and that he suspected that it was Infantino who reported the payment to the Swiss authorities, whose investigation inevitably blocked his election.
Infantino himself was investigated by the Swiss judiciary in the early years of his FIFA presidency for improper approach to Swiss prosecutors, but was ultimately cleared of any wrongdoing. Interference with justice is punishable by imprisonment in most countries.
Last week, Platini spoke out against Infantino, saying: “Gianni Infantino loves the rich and the powerful – those who have money. It’s in his nature. That’s how he was when he was number two, but he wasn’t the boss then.”
“With me, FIFA would have become an organization that cares about football, not politics.
“I was destined to become FIFA president. This all happened because they didn’t want me to.”
“This suspension was a grave injustice and ultimately it was political. A group of people decided to destroy me.”
Infantino is not named in the defamation case.
He is up for re-election as FIFA president in 2027. Platini would be eligible to run against him, although he has previously said he does not envisage a return to football politics. Even though he won’t stop from sticking the knife in his former employee and his sense of past injustice is so great, he could do this a number of times.
Contact the author of this story at force.l1768976658laboratory1768976658ofdlr1768976658are1768976658sni@n1768976658Donkeys1768976658eat.l1768976658uap1768976658
#Platini #files #defamation #suit #FIFA #officials #World #Football