Former UEFA president Platini files criminal complaint against Infantino

Former UEFA president Michel Platini has filed a criminal complaint against FIFA president Gianni Infantino, accusing him of attempting to obstruct his candidacy for the FIFA presidency. The complaint is linked to a controversial payment that led to Platini's suspension from football in 2015.

Former European Football Association (UEFA) president Michel Platini has filed a criminal complaint against FIFA president Gianni Infantino, accusing him of obstructing his candidacy for the FIFA presidency.

The complaint is closely related to a controversial payment that in 2015 led to Platini's suspension from football. At the time, it emerged that Platini had received one million Swiss francs from then-FIFA president Sepp Blatter, the legality of which was disputed at length. However, Platini has repeatedly argued over the years that his exclusion was a political decision.

FIFA president Infantino has so far rejected Platini's accusations. Infantino was elected FIFA president in 2016, winning the election in part because Platini had by then already been removed from football administration. Platini had previously been considered one of the main FIFA presidential candidates.

The filing of the criminal complaint marks a new chapter in the history of corruption scandals that have shaken football governance broadly. Platini, who himself was one of the world's best footballers in the 1980s, hopes to use the complaint to prove that the decisions ending his career were motivated by personal interests rather than legal grounds.