Michel Platini answers questions from journalists after the trial in Bellinzona, Switzerland.
| photo: Reuters
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“I made a decision a long time ago, but I wanted to announce it with my head held high, not as a defendant,” he added.
The 1984 European champion ruled out a return to UEFA or stints with FIFA, FIFPro and the French federation. However, he does not end with football. “I’m just not going to go back to the institutions that destroyed me. If the players need help, I’m here,” he added.
The 67-year-old Platini faced charges of corruption, mismanagement, embezzlement of FIFA funds and forgery of documents. Former FIFA boss Sepp Blatter also appeared before the court together with him.
The reason was a payment of two million Swiss francs from 2011 that Platini received from Blatter for consulting. However, since FIFA could not afford such a salary, a contract was signed for only 300,000.
Platini, to whom Blatter confirmed the payment of the remaining amount with a “gentleman’s” agreement, was already banned from football for eight years due to the affair in 2015, which was later reduced to four. Blatter’s sentence expires in 2027.
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