Michel Platini has escalated his long-running feud with FIFA by taking legal action against its president, Gianni Infantino, in French courts. The 70-year-old former France captain and coach announced on Monday that his lawyers have filed two complaints, just days before the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Platini's Allegations
In a statement released to AFP, Platini claimed that the French justice system is now tasked with uncovering a conspiracy that prevented him from assuming the FIFA presidency in 2015. He alleged that a plot was hatched against him to derail his candidacy, which was widely seen as the most likely successor to Sepp Blatter.
When Blatter resigned in 2015 amid a corruption scandal, Platini, then head of UEFA, was the frontrunner. However, he became embroiled in the scandal himself, allowing his deputy at UEFA, Gianni Infantino, to seize the presidency. Platini has since pursued a vendetta, and on Monday, he named Infantino, along with former FIFA officials Marco Villiger and Domenico Scala, as targets of his suit. He also called for an investigation into former Swiss Attorney Michael Lauber and other Swiss officials by French authorities.
Two Legal Actions
The first action is a civil suit seeking compensation for damages Platini claims he suffered due to tactics used to block his election. The second is a criminal complaint alleging a criminal conspiracy involving false accusations, influence peddling, and aiding and abetting such activities. The complaint specifically targets those who worked to eliminate Platini from the FIFA presidential race.
Platini has previously filed complaints in Switzerland, but neither progressed to court. Swiss prosecutors have pursued a long-running criminal case against Platini over a 2011 payment from FIFA, but have failed three times to secure a conviction. Meanwhile, Swiss authorities have investigated Infantino for using private jets and holding three secret meetings with Lauber in 2016 and 2017.
In his statement, Platini expressed confidence that the Parisian investigating judge, along with police and gendarmerie, would uncover the internal maneuvers within FIFA, possibly with complicity from Swiss magistrates, that blocked his path to the helm of world soccer.
