Michel Platini: Former UEFA president initiates legal proceedings against FIFA

Former UEFA president Michel Platini has launched civil and legal proceedings against FIFA and current president Gianni Infantino over corruption allegations from 2015 that he says have derailed his bid to lead the governing body.

Criminal charges filed in French courts accuse Infantino and two former FIFA officials – legal director Marco Villiger and audit committee chairman Domenico Scala – of malicious prosecution.

In a separate civil case, Platini, 70, is seeking monetary damages from FIFA for allegedly preventing his election as FIFA president.

Former France captain Platini was UEFA president from 2008 to 2015 and succeeded Sepp Blatter as FIFA president in 2016.

However, in 2015 the pair were embroiled in allegations of fraud and corruption over a 2m Swiss franc (£1.6m) payment made to Platini in 2011, which, it was claimed, was authorized by Blatter.

It led Blatter to resign from his role and ended Platini’s hopes of becoming head of FIFA, with the Frenchman also banned for eight years by FIFA’s ethics committee – a sanction later reduced to four years by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Both Platini and Blatter subsequently faced criminal charges but Corruption has been eradicated In March 2025 a Swiss federal criminal appeals court.

Infantino, UEFA general secretary under Platini, replaced Blatter as FIFA president.

BBC Sport has contacted FIFA for comment.