SHARE
COPY LINK

FOOTBALL

Disgraced former Uefa boss Platini to Swiss TV: ‘I’ll be back’

Former UEFA president Michel Platini told Swiss television channel RTS on Friday he "will be back" as his ban from football for ethics violations finishes on October 7.

Disgraced former Uefa boss Platini to Swiss TV: 'I'll be back'
Photo: ZAKARIA ABDELKAFI / AFP

Platini, a former France captain, was stopped from partaking in all football-related activities in 2015 for receiving a two-million Swiss franc (1.8 million euros, $2 million) payment from ex-FIFA chief Sepp Blatter, who was suspended for six years.

“I will be back. I don't know where, I don't know how. I can't stay on the suspension, even if it's a suspension made by idiots,” Platini said.

“I was a victim of a form of a plot, yes, totally, between those at FIFA and those at the Swiss public ministry.

“There was an agreement between FIFA and them to sack me. I'm not going to say it was a plot by the Swiss state,” the 64-year-old added.

Football governing bodies have been dogged by corruption claims for over a decade, with the decisions by FIFA to award the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar respectively coming under significant criticism. 

The decision to award the 2006 World Cup to Germany has also come under fire due to a bribery scandal involving former German national team captain Franz Beckenbauer. 

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.

RACISM

VIDEO: Spain’s La Liga reviews video of boy racially abusing Vinicius

Spain's La Liga on Monday said it was reviewing a video of a child making racist insults towards Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior during the 2-2 draw with Valencia at the weekend.

VIDEO: Spain's La Liga reviews video of boy racially abusing Vinicius

“We’re in the process of studying and analysing the facts from a legal standpoint to see what we can and should do,” La Liga sources said.

In a video published by a journalist for ESPN Brasil, and picked up by Spanish media, a boy sitting in a woman’s lap can be heard calling Vinicius a “monkey”.

The Brazilian scored twice for Madrid as his team recovered from two goals down at Mestalla on Saturday.

Vinicius raised his fist in a “Black Power” salute after the first of his two goals at a ground where he was racially abused last season. Valencia subsequently banned three people from the stadium for life.

The 23-year-old has become a symbol of the fight against discrimination in Spanish football after suffering racist abuse on many occasions, and he was jeered repeatedly by home supporters on Saturday.

Jude Bellingham was sent off after the final whistle against Valencia for protesting after the referee blew the final whistle right before the England midfielder headed home what he thought was the winning goal.

READ ALSO: Football star Vinicius highlights racist behaviour from Spanish fans

SHOW COMMENTS