Former FIFA presidential hopeful Michel Platini has filed a renewed criminal complaint in France targeting FIFA president Gianni Infantino and several Swiss officials, reigniting a long-running dispute over events that derailed his leadership ambitions.
Platini, once widely seen as the frontrunner to lead FIFA, is alleging conspiracy, false accusations and influence peddling aimed at blocking his path to the presidency nearly a decade ago.
His legal team confirmed that the complaint has been lodged in Paris, alongside plans for a civil lawsuit seeking damages from FIFA.
The development comes years after Platini and former FIFA president Sepp Blatter were investigated in Switzerland over a 2 million Swiss francs payment made to the Frenchman in 2011.
The case forced both men out of office in 2015.
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However, Platini and Blatter were acquitted of fraud charges in 2022, with the verdict upheld again on appeal last year, clearing them of wrongdoing.
Platini’s latest complaint also names several Swiss figures, including former attorney general Michael Lauber and ex-FIFA legal director Marco Villiger.
Infantino, who was elected FIFA president in 2016 after serving as a senior official at UEFA under Platini, has not publicly responded to the new allegations.
The legal action was announced just days before the opening of the FIFA World Cup in North America, an event expected to place Infantino alongside global political leaders, including U.S. President Donald Trump.
Observers say the renewed case underscores lingering tensions within global football governance following the corruption scandals that rocked FIFA leadership in 2015.
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