News :
World Cup award to Qatar: Michel Platini in police custody - Sport
- Former Uefa President Michel Platini has been detained in police custody.
- The process is according to media reports in connection with the corruption investigations of the World Cup award to Qatar.
- After being interrogated at the Anticorruption Division of the Criminal Investigation Department, Platini has his lawyer report that he has "nothing to blame and nothing wrong".
Former Uefa President Michel Platini was arrested on Tuesday as part of the corruption investigation in the wake of the awarding of the 2022 World Cup to Qatar. This is reported by the French news agency AFP with reference to informed circles. Also Mediapart and the agency Reuters report on the process.
Platini, former captain of the French national team, had been interrogated in the premises of the anti-corruption department of the Criminal Police in the suburb of Nanterre, Paris. It is loud AFP the suspicion of "active and passive corruption".
After his interrogation, Platini once again rejected all guilt. Platini has "nothing to blame and absolutely nothing wrong," says a statement issued by his lawyer William Bourdon: "Michel Platini is calm and precise, he answers all questions, including those for the award of Euro 2016, and he has useful given explanations. "
According to information of the newspaper Le Monde The 63-year-old, who is currently suspended for all football activities, is to be held responsible for a meeting with French President Nicolas Sarkozy, Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, Emir of Qatar, and Hamad Ben Jassem, then Prime Minister Qatar. During a lunch on November 23, 2010 at the Élysée Palace in Paris, arrangements have been made for the World Cup award to Qatar. Qatar should buy the French club Paris Saint-Germain, in return Platini would let his contacts play and promote votes in the World Cup award.
The World Cup was actually awarded to Qatar in 2010, at the same time Russia was chosen as host of the World Cup in 2018. In 2011 Qatar bought PSG. In connection with the World Cup awards were repeatedly corruption allegations. Many members of the Fifa Executive Committee, which made the decision in 2010 for Russia and Qatar, have now been suspended by the Fifa Ethics Committee.
Dubious payment of two million Swiss francs
Platini was elected Uefa president in 2007 and in 2015 was initially suspended for eight years for all football activities. The spell was later reduced to four years. Reason for the lock was a dubious payment of two million Swiss francs, which he had received in 2011 from ex-Fifa chief Joseph Blatter. According to Blatter and Platini, this was a late fee payment for Platini's Fifa work in the years 1998 to 2002.
Platini was before his lock as a favorite to succeed Blatter as Fifa president. After his expulsion, his former confidant Gianni Infantino surprisingly prevailed in the election to the World Federation boss. Platinis lock expires in October 2019. Whether the former world-class player can return to the sports function world is now more open than ever.
