Michel Platini has broken his silence on the scandal that ended his career in football governance, insisting that he was the victim of a political conspiracy and accusing Gianni Infantino of being an autocrat who favours the rich and powerful.
The former Uefa president, who was banned from football over an alleged unlawful payment from Sepp Blatter, maintains that he would have become Fifa president had he not been removed. Both Platini and Blatter were definitively acquitted by a Swiss appeals court last year, but the 70-year-old says the ordeal was deeply damaging for his family.
"It's a strange feeling," Platini said. "The last 10 years have been very complicated because of what my family suffered... But I was never preoccupied about the final decision because I knew I was not guilty." He added: "I was destined to become president of Fifa. Everything happened because they didn't want that. The ban was a big injustice and overall it was political. A group of people decided to kill me."
Platini declined to name Infantino among the instigators, saying the current Fifa president "profited from the situation" but was not one of those who plotted against him. However, he criticised Infantino's leadership, saying: "He was a good No 2, but is not a good No 1... he likes the rich and powerful people, the ones with money." Platini also claimed that "there is less democracy than in Blatter's time" and that Infantino has "become more of an autocrat since the pandemic".
Reflecting on the modern game, Platini lamented that football has become "big business" and that millions of romantics who share his ideals have been sidelined. He said he always felt fine in himself, knowing that the final decision would clear him, but acknowledged that the sport has moved on from his era.
