Friday, October 16, 2015

Michel Platini is not removed from the candidates – Kommersant

Fair Play

UEFA Executive Committee expressed its full support for President Michel Platini organization Last week suspension from all football activities in connection with suspicions of corruption. Such support is certainly important to save the career of Michel Platini. But she made it clear how influential functionaries of the UEFA, can evaporate in a moment. After all, CEO of UEFA had still not given a clear answer to the question, for which FIFA President Sepp Blatter paid him $ 2 million. From that, whether he will give a full explanation, its prospects depend on the planned February presidential elections in FIFA. In the meantime, UEFA is preparing a plan B, providing that instead of Michel Platini from Europe to the FIFA presidential elections will Dutchman Michael van Prague.

Yesterday in Nyon, held an extraordinary meeting of the executive committee of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), which discussed the situation created after the disqualification president Michel Platini. Recall that last week, he and the President of the International Football Federation (FIFA) Sepp Blatter has been suspended from all football activities for 90 days. With regard to Mr Blatter Swiss authorities have opened a criminal case on suspicion of corruption. As for Michel Platini, his status is, as noted in the Swiss prosecutor’s office, a cross between a witness and a suspect.

Claims to Michel Platini came after it emerged that in 2011 he received from FIFA 2 million Swiss francs ($ 2.05 million) for alleged work performed Between 1999 and 2002, when he was an advisor to Sepp Blatter (the latter led by FIFA c 1998). It is noteworthy that in 2011 took the election as President of UEFA, and the head of FIFA, and Michel Platini, who was already named a strong contender for the top post in world football, for some reason, decided to stay in the UEFA.

Michel Platini previously explained amazing delay between the execution of the work and its payment of the fact that in the early 2000s, the financial position of FIFA was far from perfect and it just did not remind about the debt until until it was corrected. However, this version raises questions: Swiss authorities believe that FIFA could well pay off Mr Platini much earlier. But it is important in this story is not so much delay “salary” for nine years, though, according to Swiss law, the employee has no right to demand its payment if more than five years after the expiration of the contract or the performance of work (after all, no one forbids the employer pay voluntarily and after the expiration of five years), but the fact that Michel Platini has not provided any written agreement that notwithstanding that the money he owed for his work. According to him, he did not consider it necessary to draw up the paper, thinking that it will be enough verbal agreement. This contract with the FIFA he still was, and on it from 1998 to 2002. Mr. Platini quite officially received 1.05 million Swiss francs. Asked why the “scandal” of 2 million francs were not included in the contract, there is no answer. “This is an important issue – said before the meeting of the executive committee of the honorary president of UEFA, Lennart Yuhansson.- Platini – my friend and I can not blame him. But in order to support it, we should see the contract. Otherwise, the situation could change.”

Sam Michel Platini yesterday could not because of the disqualification to attend a meeting of the executive committee, but because its members had to be content with explanations that lawyers gave the Frenchman. And judging by the statements, for example, sports minister Vitaly Mutko, or head of the Football Federation of Austria Leo Vindtnera, then the executive committee and the heads of all 54 national federations (their meeting was held after the executive committee) at this stage we found them satisfactory. In a statement, UEFA noted that the Union continues to support Michel Platini that he opposed the transfer of presidential elections of FIFA and that a candidate from Europe remains exactly Mr. Platini. UEFA General Secretary Gianni Infantino also said that UEFA urged FIFA to clarify the situation with Michel Platini to mid-November. In addition, he noted that it is likely to fall into the International Arbitration for Sport (CAS) – the only body that can cancel the disqualification of Michel Platini is against the will of FIFA.

But the confidence that the CAS would side with Platini at UEFA, seems not. And now Union appears ready backup candidate for the presidential elections of FIFA. They can become the head of the Football Federation of the Netherlands, the fifth vice-president of UEFA Michael van Prague. By the way, he was nominated for the presidency of FIFA in the May election, but chose to withdraw his candidacy in order not to compete with the Jordanian Prince Ali Bin Al-Hussein. Last enlisted the support of a large part of European federations, but despite this, Sepp Blatter conceded, as they say, no chance. However, only four days after the election victory, amid the festering corruption scandal, Mr Blatter was forced to declare that he would not fulfill his four-year term to end.

Alexander Petrov


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