By Andrew Warshaw
September 28 – Just as Sepp Blatter refused to resign in the wake of the criminal proceedings opened against him, so his would-be successor Michel Platini sought to keep alive his election hopes and reputation by protesting his innocence to UEFA’s entire membership over receiving a suspected SFr2 million unlawful payment from his one-time mentor.
In a letter to UEFA’s 54 federation chiefs, whose backing he desperately needs if he is to take Blatter’s place next February, Platini sought to offer an explanation about the sum but still left unanswered why it took until 2011 for it to be paid when it was for work carried out between 1999 and 2002.
Just like Blatter, Platini has denied any wrongdoing but his situation is potentially much worse because Blatter has, at best, five months to go whereas Platini’s entire future is at stake, with the deadline for election candidates to officially enter the race less than a month away.
Platini, who used to be widely accessible to the media in his early days as UEFA president, has gone quiet in recent weeks but has been forced to clarify being drawn into the corruption crisis that has engulfed FIFA.
His letter began by acknowledging there had been “speculation about the facts that concern me personally” before going into the background of the payment. “For the period 1998 to 2002 I was employed by FIFA to work on a wide range of matters relating to football. It was a full-time job and my functions were known by all,” he wrote.
“The remuneration was agreed at the time and after initial payments were made, the final outstanding amount of SFr2 million was paid in February 2011. The income has all been fully declared by me to the authorities, in accordance with Swiss law.”
But exactly why the final instalment (there was no detail he had been paid prior to this amount) was paid in February 2011, just before Blatter was elected for a fourth term of office and after Platini decided not to stand, is still not fully explained.
“I was interviewed by the Swiss authorities about this matter last Friday, not as a person accused of any wrongdoing, but simply in my capacity as a person providing information,” Platini continues, adding that he has written to the FIFA ethics committee offering to come forward with “whatever additional information may be needed to clear this matter up.”
“I am aware that these events may harm my image and my reputation and by consequence, the image of UEFA, the organisation of which I am proud to be president. For these reasons I wish to use all my energies to ensure that any issues or misunderstandings can be resolved as soon as possible.”
It must nevertheless be questionable whether Platini’s attempts at appeasing his European colleagues will have the desired effect when there is still no detail provided on the wording of the contract he undertook or why it took so long for the whole amount to be paid.
Scottish Football Association Stewart Regan said he would be writing to Platini to find out more. “It is an essential piece of information that still needs to be provided,” Regan posted on Twitter.
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