sports
January 15, 2026
‘A group of people decided to kill me’: Michel Platini on Fifa, Uefa and the fight to clear his name
Former Uefa president – caught between moving on and settling scores – talks candidly about his downfall, Infantino and the snakepit of the game’s governance
TL;DR
- Platini maintains he was unjustly banned from football to prevent him from becoming FIFA president.
- He believes current FIFA leadership under Gianni Infantino has become more autocratic and less democratic than Blatter's time.
- Platini is concerned about the increasing power of major clubs and the threat of a European Super League.
- He advocates for former players to take on leadership roles in football governance to protect the sport's values.
- Despite his career being derailed, Platini states he enjoyed his decade away from the forefront of football administration.
- He has filed a defamation lawsuit against unnamed FIFA officials and a Swiss judicial member.
- Platini believes a FIFA led by him would have prioritized football over politics.
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