PARIS, June 18, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – The banned ex-UEFA chief Michel Platini
was arrested Tuesday in connection with a criminal investigation into the
award of the 2022 World Cup to Qatar.
The French football legend elected to lead European football’s governing
body in 2007 was taken into custody by French anti-corruption police
investigating the awarding of the 2022 World Cup to the gas-rich Gulf state.
Qatar was named to host the World Cup in a decision that triggered
controversy over its suitability amid allegations of corruption that
ultimately sparked FIFA’s worst ever scandal five years later.
France’s Financial Crimes Prosecutors Office (PNF) opened a preliminary
investigation in 2016 into allegations of corruption, conspiracy and
influence peddling surrounding FIFA’s award of the World Cup to Qatar and
also the 2018 tournament to Russia.
According to Blatter, Qatar won hosting rights as a result of a deal with
the French, derailing FIFA’s own “diplomatic arrangement” whereby hosting
rights would go to Russia in 2018 and then to the United States four years
later.
The French investigation centres on alleged French intervention linked to
Platini and former president Nicolas Sarkozy.
According to the specialist magazine France Football, a “secret meeting”
took place on November 23, 2010 at the Elysee Palace in Paris between
Sarkozy, Qatar’s then-Prince (now Emir) Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, and
Platini, at that time both UEFA president and vice-president of FIFA.
Just over a week later, FIFA awarded Qatar hosting rights for the 2022
tournament.
Platini has made no secret of his support for Qatar but denies he was
influenced by Sarkozy, whose advisor for sport, Sophie Dion, was also
arrested along with Platini.
“It was time to give them the World Cup. I am for that. It’s my
conviction,” he said at the time.
Claude Gueant, Sarkozy’s erstwhile chief of staff and former interior
minister, was also called in for questioning Tuesday by France’s Anti-
Corruption Office of the Judicial Police.
The decision to award the event to Qatar ultimately led to a wider
corruption probe that led to the overthrow of Blatter and Platini and the
arrest of senior FIFA figures.
Platini, 63, led UEFA until 2015 when he was banned from football for four
years for ethics violations including receiving a two-million Swiss francs
(1.8 million euros, $2 million) payment from the disgraced former head of
FIFA Sepp Blatter.
Qatar has been accused of buying votes in its bid to stage the World Cup
and a subsequent report by US independent investigator Michael Garcia
unearthed an array of suspect financial dealings, many linked to Sandro
Rosell, the ex-Barcelona president who served as a consultant for Qatar.
Platini, a triple Ballon d’Or winner, was expected to succeed Blatter as
FIFA president in 2016 before his fall from grace. He has been battling to
clear his name ever since.