Michel Platini: No criminal charges, claims ex-Uefa president

Michel Platini (left) and Sepp Blatter were banned from football after a Fifa ethics committee investigation over a “disloyal payment”

Disgraced ex-Uefa president Michel Platini has claimed he will not face any criminal charges over the matter that led to his ban from football.

Former France captain Platini, 62, was head of European football’s governing body until his ban for ethics breaches.

The matter then formed part of a criminal inquiry into wider corruption at world governing body Fifa.

Swiss prosecutors told BBC Sport they had written to Platini confirming no action was “currently being taken”.

Platini was banned in 2015 over a 2m Swiss francs (£1.3m) “disloyal payment” from then Fifa president Sepp Blatter, who was also banned from football for his part in the matter.

The payment was made at a time when Blatter was seeking re-election as president.

Both men have always denied wrongdoing.

Former midfielder Platini’s eight-year ban was later reduced to four on appeal and will expire in October 2019.

In September 2016, Swiss attorney general Michael Lauber said the Frenchman, a three-time European Footballer of the Year, was being treated as “in between a witness and an accused person”.

But on Saturday, Platini said officials had “just restored the truth by officially confirming that no charge has been at any time, or will be in the future, held against me in connection with my activities for Fifa.

“This official information from an authority of justice attests definitely of my innocence.”

He added the investigation had left his “honour and integrity tarnished” and vowed to “come back to football”.

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