Former UEFA President Michel Platini is arrested by French anti-corruption police over the controversial awarding of the 2022 World Cup to Qatar
- Michel Platini has been arrested over the awarding of the 2022 Qatar World Cup
- Former UEFA president Platini was elected in 2007 and served until 2015
- It is reported Platini was taken into custody by police on Tuesday morning
Former UEFA president Michel Platini has been arrested over the awarding of the 2022 World Cup.
French legend Platini was elected in 2007 and served as president until 2015 when he was banned by the FIFA Ethics Committee.
French publication Mediapart claim Platini was taken into custody on Tuesday morning as part of the investigation into the awarding of the World Cup to Qatar.
Ex-UEFA president Michel Platini has been arrested over the awarding of the 2022 World Cup
Platini was reportedly taken to the premises of the Anti-Corruption Office of the Judicial Police
Platini is reported to have been taken to the premises of the Anti-Corruption Office of the Judicial Police (OCLCIFF).
Back in December 2010 Qatar was controversially revealed as the hosts of the 2022 World Cup, following on from Russia in 2018.
A number have issues have arise regarding the decision to select the peninsular Arab country, including human rights concerns and the status of homosexuality among others.
In 2014 Platini admitted holding a secret meeting with the disgraced football official Mohamed Bin Hammam, shortly before casting his vote for Qatar.
In 2014 Platini admitted holding a secret meeting with the disgraced football official Mohamed Bin Hammam
A source close to the former UEFA chief at the time told the Telegraph that Platini said he had met the Qatar football official for breakfast in a hotel in Switzerland, just a few days before the controversial decision was made.
It was further alleged that the two men had met 30 to 50 times, as both sat on the decision-making committee for FIFA.
Since the vote in favour of Qatar, of the 24 members of the executive committee (comex) of FIFA on that date, 16 have been struck off, suspended or remain under investigation.
Six years ago Football France revealed that on November 23, 2010, nine days before the ballot of FIFA for the World Cup decision, former France president Nicolas Sarkozy invited Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, Crown Prince of Qatar and Platini, then UEFA President and Vice President of FIFA, to a meeting at the Elysee hotel.
Football France reported that the meeting centred around at acquisition of Ligue 1 side Paris Saint Germain by the Qataris – which became effective in June 2011 – a rise in Qatari shareholding in the Lagardere group and the creation of ‘a sports channel (BeIN Sports) to compete with Canal +’ in France.
It was then alleged that all would have been agreed ‘in exchange for a promise: that Platini does not give his voice to the United States (for the 2022 World Cup bid), as he had envisioned, but in Qatar.’
Platini was banned by FIFA in 2015 along with former president Sepp Blatter for eight years following a verdict from the governing body’s ethics committee.
Both were cleared of corruption charges but found guilty of a series of other breaches including a conflict of interest and dereliction of duty over a 2m Swiss francs (£1.35m)’disloyal payment’ from Blatter to Platini, the then UEFA president, in 2011.
TIMELINE OF CONTROVERSY THAT HAS ENGULFED FIFA
MAY 2002
After becoming FIFA president in 1998, Sepp Blatter seeks re-election four years later but his campaign is blighted by rumours of financial irregularities.
DEC 2010
Blatter reveals Qatar will stage the 2022 World Cup.
MAY 2011
After rival Mohammed bin Hammam withdraws from the presidential election amid allegations of bribery, Blatter runs unopposed and elected for a fourth term.
APRIL 2013
FIFA’s ethics committee concludes an investigation into bribery allegations surrounding the awarding of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. Blatter is cleared of any wrongdoing.
FIFA cohorts ‘co-ordinated effort to enrich themselves’ which cost the governing body £55m in five years
MAY 2015
Fourteen FIFA officials are arrested over ‘rampant and systemic’ corruption allegations. Blatter is urged to resign, despite not being implicated. He is again re-elected as FIFA president.
JUNE 2015
Blatter announces his resignation as president, before Swiss newspaper Blick claims he did not actually resign.
SEPTEMBER 2015
Swiss prosecutors open a criminal investigation into him.
OCTOBER 2015
Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini are provisionally banned for 90 days.
NOVEMBER 2015
FIFA ethics committee investigations unit submit final case report and request that UEFA president Michel Platini is banned for life.
DECEMBER 2015
Blatter and Platini are handed eight-year bans from all football activities by FIFA’s ethics committee
FEBRUARY 2016
Gianni Infantino became the ninth FIFA president after being elected in Zurich and promised to ‘restore a new era’ to world football’s governing body.
MAY 2016
Platini resigns as UEFA president after having ban for corruption cut from six years to four at the Court of Arbitration for Sport