Michel Platini called FIFA’s eight-year ban a “kick in the teeth” but vowed in an interview on Tuesday to fight on for the presidency of world football’s governing body.
The FIFA vice president and UEFA leader condemned the ethics committee that banned him on Monday but said he would “fight to clear my name.” Platini’s ban from all football activities prevents him from standing in the February 26 election to find a replacement for FIFA president Sepp Blatter and working as UEFA president.
“I’m struggling to understand. WhyIJ How did we get to thisIJ I did some work, I asked to be paid, I sent an invoice, I was paid, I paid my taxes on that. That was in 2011,” he said.
“There was a debt that was settled, full stop! Then, in 2015, the Swiss court wanted more information.”
Platini repeated his suspicions that the timing of the ban was a deliberate attempt to prevent him from standing in February’s election. “What was the FIFA ethics committee doing between 2011 when I was paid and 2015IJ Was it sleepingIJ Suddenly it wakes up,” he scoffed.
Meanwhile, FIFA told Platini on Tuesday that he cannot bypass its appeals process by challenging his eight-year ban directly at the Court of Arbitration forSport.
FIFA said it wrote to Platini’s lawyers on Tuesday to confirm that the UEFA leader can only go to CAS if the governing body’s appeals committee first rejects his request. FIFA rules state a list of candidates must be finalised one month before the election in Zurich.
Moreover, Sepp Blatter is ready to take “all legal steps” to clear his name from the ban, his lawyer lorenz Erni and counsel Richard Cullen said in a joint statement.