Former UEFA president Michel Platini has launched civil and criminal legal proceedings against FIFA and its current president, Gianni Infantino, over corruption allegations dating back to 2015, claiming the case derailed his bid to lead world football’s governing body.
The 70-year-old former France captain has filed a criminal complaint in French courts accusing Infantino, along with former FIFA legal director Marco Villiger and former audit committee chair Domenico Scala, of malicious prosecution.
As reported by BBC Sport on Tuesday, in a separate civil case, Platini is seeking financial compensation from FIFA, alleging that efforts were made to block his path to the FIFA presidency ahead of the 2016 election.
Platini, who served as UEFA president from 2008 to 2015, was widely regarded as the favourite to succeed Sepp Blatter as FIFA president.
However, his campaign collapsed after both men became embroiled in allegations over a 2 million Swiss francs (£1.6m) payment made to Platini in 2011.
The payment, reportedly authorised by Blatter, later became central to a corruption investigation that rocked world football.
The scandal contributed to Blatter’s resignation and effectively ended Platini’s presidential ambitions. Platini was subsequently banned from football for eight years by FIFA’s ethics committee, a sanction later reduced to four years by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Both Platini and Blatter later faced criminal proceedings in Switzerland but were ultimately cleared of corruption by a Swiss federal criminal appeals court in March 2025.
Infantino, who previously served as UEFA general secretary under Platini, went on to succeed Blatter as FIFA president.
FIFA is yet to comment on the issue. – BBC.
