- Title: Platini free to return to soccer as FIFA ban ends
- Date: 7th October 2019
- Summary: PARIS, FRANCE (JUNE 19, 2019) (REUTERS) (NIGHT SHOTS) ***WARNING: CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** PLATINI ON PHONE JOURNALISTS FILMING PLATINI AND BOURDON (SOUNDBITE) (French) FORMER UEFA HEAD MICHEL PLATINI, MICHEL PLATINI, SAYING: "Listen it was long, but given the number of questions it could only be long, they asked me questions on Euro 2016, the Russia World Cup, the Qatar World Cup, Paris-Saint-Germain, FIFA, so lots and lots and lots of themes, so I replied to all of that. As Mr. Bourdon said I don't know why I'm here, but hey, I replied to all their questions." JOURNALIST ASKING: "So now you're relaxed?" PLATINI SAYING: "I've always been relaxed because I've felt completely separate from this matter. It's an old matter, you know it, we explained it, I've always expressed myself in a fully transparent way in all the newspapers, so there, it goes on, they're doing their investigation, they're searching." PLATINI ENTERING CAR / CAR DRIVING AWAY STARA PAZOVA, SERBIA (FILE - MAY 14, 2011) (REUTERS) PLATINI (RIGHT), SERBIAN DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER IVICA DACIC (CENTRE) AND BLATTER (LEFT) WALKING / PLATINI TRYING TO HEAD BALL BLATTER STANDING BLATTER, DACIC AND PLATINI WALKING BLATTER SHAKING HANDS AND STANDING WITH CHILDREN/BLATTER AND PLATINI SHAKING HANDS WITH CHILDREN MICHEL PLATINI WITH SEPP BLATTER TALKING TO CHILDREN PLATINI PLANTING A TREE ST. PETERSBURG, RUSSIA (FILE - JULY 25, 2015) (REUTERS) TEAM SEMINAR IN PROGRESS SEPP BLATTER TALKING WITH PLATINI BLATTER AND PLATINI TALKING ZURICH, SWITZERLAND (FILE - MAY 2015) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (French) MICHEL PLATINI SAYING: "Like many of you - and thanks to many of you - we have followed what has been going on in recent days. Sincerely, for me who likes FIFA, for me who has so much admiration for the history of FIFA, for me who has followed this for several years, I feel insulted. I feel disgusted and I'm sick of it. Enough is enough. (HE REPEATS IN ENGLISH) "Enough is enough" PARIS, FRANCE (FILE - JUNE 2015) (REUTERS) PLATINI ENTERING ELYSEE PALACE PLATINI WITH THEN FRENCH PRESIDENT FRANCOIS HOLLANDE LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND (FILE - DECEMBER 2015) (REUTERS) PLATINI'S CAR ARRIVING AT COURT OF ARBITRATION FOR SPORT PLATINI SPEAKING TO MEDIA ZURICH, SWITZERLAND (FILE - OCTOBER 20, 2015) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF THE HOME OF FIFA SIGN, READING: "FIFA"
- Embargoed: 21st October 2019 18:09
- Keywords: Michel Platini UEFA ban FIFA
- Location: VARIOUS LOCATIONS
- City: VARIOUS LOCATIONS
- Country: France
- Topics: Soccer,Sport
- Reuters ID: LVA001B03MMVB
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Former European soccer boss Michel Platini's four-year FIFA ban from the sport over ethics violations comes to an end on Monday (October 7) at 2159 GMT.
Platini was banned largely due to a 2 million Swiss Francs ($2 million) payment the former French great received from FIFA in 2011.
Former FIFA President Sepp Blatter and Platini argued that the payment followed a verbal agreement they made in 1998, and concerned Platini's work for Blatter between 1998 and 2002.
Platini, who has denied wrongdoing, was banned from soccer along with Sepp Blatter, the former FIFA head who approved the payment.
In June, Platini was briefly detained for questioning by French police over the awarding of the 2022 World Cup soccer tournament to Qatar. The investigation into Qatar's World Cup continues despite the end of his FIFA suspension.
The French midfield legend was a three-times European footballer of the year, captaining France to the 1984 European championships and helped bring the World Cup to his home country in 1998.
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