Michel Platini dropped FIFA presidency challenge 'after receiving £1.3million payment from Sepp Blatter'

Getty FIFA president Sepp Blatter paid Michel Platini, his nearest rival in a leadership election £1.3million ‘weeks’ before the Frenchman pulled out of the contest, it has been alleged. FIFA president Sepp Blatter paid Michel Platini, his nearest rival in a leadership election £1.3million ‘weeks’ before the Frenchman pulled out of the contest, it has been alleged.

Claims Mr Blatter personally authorised the ‘disloyal’ payment to UEFA chief Mr Platini were included in a statement by the Attorney General of Switzerland announcing legal action against the 79-year-old Swiss last week.

Investigators believe Mr Blatter improperly used FIFA funds to direct two million Swiss Francs to his closest challenger for FIFA’s top job in February 2011.

The two men were scheduled to go head-to-head in a June election involving representatives of all six global football federations, before Mr Platini suddenly withdrew from the contest.

It came just two months after the 2022 World Cup had controversially been awarded to Qatar, as Mr Blatter was campaigning for his fourth term in office .

There is no evidence to suggest the decision was linked to the payment other than the timing, and both Mr Blatter and Mr Platini deny any wrongdoing.

Mr Platini was seen as a strong candidate by several members of FIFA’s executive committee, most notably Mohammed bin Hammam.

The Qatari, once a close ally of Mr Blatter, felt betrayed by his decision to break a promise to stand down and allow him to be crowned his successor.

Leaked documents show Mr Platini flew to Malaysia on January 29, 2011 in the company of Uefa’s general secretary.

There they had lunch with Bin Hammam, who offered to back Mr Platini in the upcoming vote .

Mr Platini agreed to consider the proposal, but my March 2011 had decided not stand in Mr Blatter’s way.

In May he signed an endorsement from European football’s governing body Uefa urging all 53 member federations to vote for Mr Blatter.

Mr Blatter went on to be elected unopposed, after Bin Hamman was revealed to have bribed voters in the Caribbean using brown paper envelopes stuffed with cash.

A source close to Bin Hammam told The Sunday Times: “Bin Hamman was tired of Blatter breaking his pledges to step down and he wanted to find a viable candidate to stand against him.

“He was pushing Platini to be a candidate in the presidency election which was due to take place that year”.

When Mr Platini opted not to run, “Bin Hamman decided that he himself would have to stand against Blatter. He didn’t like doing it because he preferred to be behind the scene pulling the strings”.

The suspicious payment and Mr Platini’s apparent change of heart will be of interest both to prosecutors in the Swiss capital, Berne.

Members of FIFA’s own Ethics Committee may also take it into consideration when they meet in Zurich early this week to discuss suspending Mr Blatter from the organisation .

Mr Blatter was questioned on September 24 this year on “suspicion of criminal mismanagement (Article 158 Swiss Criminal Code / SCC) and – alternatively – misappropriation (Article 138 Swiss Criminal Code / SCC)”.

He was subsequently interrogated again the following day.

Mr Platini – a former Juventus and France national team player – is not under investigation in Switzerland but was “heard as a person to provide information” the same day.

He issued a statement saying the payment was for work “carried out in a contractual manner for FIFA” as an adviser to Mr Blatte r between 1999 and 2002.

But it remains unclear as to why it took nearly nine years for the sum to be paid.