GENEVA — On Monday, FIFA President Gianni Infantino faced a renewed criminal complaint in France from his former boss, Michel Platini, who had once been poised to lead FIFA until he was caught up in a financial misconduct scandal in 2015.
Platini, a renowned figure in French soccer and recently acquitted after a second trial in Switzerland last year, has instructed his lawyers in Paris to file a criminal complaint against Infantino, as well as five other Swiss soccer and legal officials.
He accuses them of conspiracy, false accusations, and influence peddling aimed at blocking his bid for FIFA presidency nearly a decade ago.
Additionally, Platini’s lawyers will pursue a civil lawsuit for damages against FIFA, according to a spokesperson for the former soccer star, referencing allegations previously made against Swiss authorities in 2022.
The announcement comes just three days before Infantino is set to kick off a FIFA World Cup hosted in North America, during which he has frequently shared a platform with U.S. President Donald Trump.
FIFA has yet to respond to Platini’s legal claims.
Infantino was unexpectedly elected as FIFA’s president in 2016, emerging as a candidate from European soccer association UEFA, where he had served as general secretary under Platini.
Platini had long been considered a frontrunner for the FIFA presidency, set to succeed his mentor Sepp Blatter, who resigned amid corruption investigations that surfaced in May 2015.
However, just four months later, both Platini and Blatter became embroiled in a Swiss investigation regarding a payment of 2 million Swiss francs ($2.5 million) to Platini, which removed them from their positions prematurely.
Both men were acquitted twice of charges of defrauding FIFA during trials in Switzerland in 2022 and again last year upon appeal from the federal prosecution office.
The five individuals named in Platini’s complaint also include Michael Lauber, who served as Switzerland’s attorney general in 2015, and Marco Villiger, FIFA’s legal director at the time.
Information from The Associated Press was incorporated into this report.