Former UEFA Boss Platini Arrested Over Corruption Allegations

Former UEFA boss, Michel Platini has been arrested in connection with a criminal investigation into an alleged corruption case relating to football world’s governing body, Fifa’s decision to host the 2022 World Cup in Qatar according to reports by French sources.

Platini’s detention was initially reported by Mediapart with Claude Gueant, the former secretary general of the Élysée Palace also been questioned as a free suspect.

The detention of Michel Platini who voted for Qatar to host the 2022 edition of the FIFA World Cup represents the first real public move in an investigation into the decision for 2022 Qatar World Cup opened two years ago by France’s Parquet National Financier, who is responsible for law enforcement against serious financial crime.

According to the judicial sources, PNF is looking into a case of possible influence peddling and influence trading, private corruption and criminal conspiracy over the vote for Qatar, which are considered categories of corruption in French law.

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Representatives of the former UEFA boss issued a statement emphasising that he hadn’t been arrested and that the detention was effected to maintain the confidentiality of the interview.

Platini was said to be confident that he had not erred in any capacity and had not done anything wrong.

According to the French media, Platini was being looked into because of a lunch he had publicly admitted to having with Sarkozy and Tamim al-Thani, the current Emir of Qatar, on 23 November 2010, less than a fortnight before the Fifa vote for the the 2018 and 2022 World Cup hosts.

However, Platini told the Guardian he had made up his mind to change his vote from USA to Qatar before having that lunch. Laurent, Platini’s son has joined Qatar sportswear company, Burrda as chief executive but the former UEFA boss is adamant that position wasn’t gifted to his son as a reward for his vote.

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