By Andrew Warshaw
September 28 – Michel Platini’s dreams of taking over at FIFA face being dealt a hammer blow as a result of the already-infamous 2 million Swiss franc payment he received for unexplained work undertaken on behalf of Sepp Blatter.
Insideworldfootball has been told that Platini is “in real danger” after Swiss justice authorities disclosed last week that the UEFA president accepted the huge payment from FIFA four years ago authorised by Blatter.
The so-called “disloyal payment”, revealed when criminal proceedings were officially opened last week against Blatter, was apparently for consultancy work carried out by the Frenchman between 1999 and 2002 when he was Blatter’s special advisor.
Investigators believe Blatter improperly used FIFA funds but the fact the money was not paid until nine years later, in February 2011, by which time Platini had taken over at UEFA, is a complete mystery and raises serious questions about whether there was a hidden agenda. Tellingly, the sum was transferred shortly before Blatter was elected FIFA president for the fourth time.
The fact that both Blatter and Platini have been named by Swiss attorney general’s office raises the possibility that both might be referred to FIFA’s ethics committee and risk suspension pending the outcome of further inquiries.
Platini has vehemently denied any wrongdoing and says the payment was completely above board and made under contract. But a dark shadow has been cast over his FIFA presidential aspirations, potentially an even greater disaster than for Blatter who is leaving anyway in five months. “He is in real danger,” said one source close to the ethics committee.
FIFA insiders believe Platini has, at best, some serious explaining to do and, at worst, could find himself being investigated like Blatter or even suspended. One of his FIFA executive committee colleagues described as “inexplicable” the length of time before he was paid.
The rationale is that if Blatter is suspected of criminal mismanagement, partly for sanctioning money to Platini, then the UEFA boss and current FIFA vice-president has questions to answer about why he accepted it. “If it’s wrongful to give the money, then surely it’s wrongful to accept it,” said the exco member who asked not to be named.
Ever since he announced his intention to bid for the presidency next February, Platini has gradually become the front-runner, with four of FIFA’s six confederations saying they will support him. But the latest revelations risk completely changing the landscape.
Platini’s supporters would doubtless argue that the conspiracy theorists are putting two and two together and making five. But the timing of the payment is intriguing given that Platini decided not to run against Blatter in 2011 and UEFA instead endorsed the veteran Swiss to go for a fourth term, having assumed it would be his last.
In the end, Blatter ended up being the only candidate after the withdrawal of Mohamed bin Hammam over the notorious cash-for-votes scandal. Yet at one point, speculation was rife that Platini might support bin Hammam who many believe would have been a credible threat to Blatter.
The Qatari, as we know, was forced to throw in the towel and Platini didn’t stand either. But the one-time Asian football supremo, before announcing his own ultimately doomed candidature, is believed to have urged Platini to take on Blatter instead.
Whilst no direct link can be made between Platini’s decision not to stand and the 2 million Swiss franc payment, until we know what it was actually used for and why there was such a long delay, questions will persist. Bin Hammam’s keenness for Platini to have a run at the presidency may have fallen on deaf ears but a few weeks earlier, in December, 2010, Qatar received Platini’s vote for hosting the 2022 World Cup. Once again, interesting timing.
When Blatter was questioned on Friday, so was Platini but only as a witness “to provide information”. Immediately afterwards, he put out a statement suggesting there was nothing untoward in receiving the payment. What he didn’t do – and still hasn’t – was to explain why he received it nine years later and he will now come under increasing pressure to do more than just dismiss it with a Gallic shrug and a charming smile.
The emphasis will now be on Platini to show the contract and, if it was verbal, explain the nature of that contract and why it was paid so late. An explanation which his UEFA federations are already requesting publicly and which he will presumably have to also give to Swiss investigators and to FIFA’s Ethics investigators, who are beieved to be opening an investigation into the payment.
Stewart Regan, chief executive of the Scottish FA, said it was too early to say whether any European countries, including his own, would withdraw their backing for Platini next February. “We have announced we are backing Platini but we need to get more information,” said Regan.
“We need to know what the background is because there is no detail in terms of what this payment relates to. If it’s perfectly above board, why is there an issue? Clearly there’s more to it than that. Do I find it odd that the payment was made nine years after the commission? Yes I do which is why we need more information.”
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