I’m bulletproof - Platini
Michel Platini believes he is “bulletproof” and has not lost any support in his bid to replace Sepp Blatter as Fifa president.
|||Michel Platini said yesterday that he believes he is “bulletproof” and has not lost any support in his bid to replace Sepp Blatter as Fifa president next year.
Platini also complained that his name is being “dragged through the mud” by the current corruption investigation engulfing football's world governing body.
The Uefa president, who has been suspended for 90 days along with Blatter, admitted in an interview with French newspaper Le Monde that he had no written contract for the £1.35m payment he received from Fifa in 2011.
“It was a gentleman's agreement. He [Blatter] was going to be president of Fifa. I trusted him. I've since learned that under Swiss law, an oral contract is just as valid as a written one.”
Platini submitted his Fifa election application papers before being suspended and hopes that his provisional suspension will be lifted - by the Fifa appeal committee or the Court of Arbitration for Sport - to allow him to run.
Platini must still pass an integrity check by Fifa's election committee, which will scrutinise all applicants after the deadline closes on Monday. “I think it's shameful to be dragged through the mud. I don't think I've lost many votes and those who know me know I can look myself in the mirror,” Platini added. “I'm bulletproof.
“I have been suspended for three months, but what annoys me the most is being tarred with the same brush as the others. My lawyers are following the Fifa proceedings and will take the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport if need be.”
Meanwhile, the former Tottenham defender Ramon Vega is set to declare his candidacy to become president of Fifa.
Vega, who also played for Celtic and Watford before a successful career in finance, is expected to officially join the running by the end of this week. – The Independent