By Andrew Warshaw
December 10 – UEFA president Michel Platini has given another strong hint that moves are going on behind the scenes to find a suitable challenger for Europe to back at next year’s FIFA presidential election.
Platini has re-iterated his stance that he will not be supporting Sepp Blatter or his only current challenger Jerome Champagne. UEFA has long been rumoured to be in talks with other potential candidates from outside Europe and Platini added weight to this in an interview with a French radio station.
Asked who he would back for the election, he replied: “Neither. I hope others will run. Another European candidate would have very little chance of winning.”
That applies to him as well which is one reason why he didn’t put his own name forward and decided instead to carry on running UEFA though that could change in another four years.
In another blast at FIFA – and Blatter, his one-time ally, in particular – over the corruption allegations that have swirled round world football’s governing body, Platini said: “The image of FIFA is very, very, very bad so that’s why I think it would be good that he [Blatter] stops, but I don’t think he wants to. I supported him in 1998 because I think he was the right person,” he told Europe 1. “After five terms, it’s time to have some fresh air and make room for someone else.”
Unless Platini’s words were lost in translation he was perhaps getting slightly ahead of himself. Blatter has actually served four terms though it will be five once, as seems virtually certain, he gets re-elected again in May.
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