Platini says FIFA must now end his ban

Former UEFA president Michel Platini told AFP on Saturday he hoped FIFA would have “the decency” to lift his ban over a 1.8-million-euro payment from the world footballing body.

“I hope that FIFA will have the courage and the decency to lift my suspension,” Platini said in a telephone interview, referring to a four-year ban on his involvement in any footballing activities which expires in October 2019.

“If not, my legal advisers will take all the necessary measures to ensure the FIFA suspension is lifted. This soap opera isn’t over yet,” he warned.

Platini was speaking after French newspaper Le Monde reported that he has been cleared by a Swiss prosecutor over the payment.

Platini was hit with the suspension following a $2 million payment he received from FIFA in 2011 for work he did a decade earlier, with no contract to show for the deal.

The payment was authorised by FIFA’s then chief Sepp Blatter. Blatter is also now banned.

The unprecedented scandal rocked world football, with Platini initially hit with an eight-year ban at the end of 2015, which was later reduced by half.