Just days before the 2026 World Cup kicks off, Michel Platini has named FIFA President Gianni Infantino in a criminal complaint — a fresh twist in a long-running row that could put FIFA back in the headlines at the worst possible time.
According to The Sun, Platini, 70, filed criminal and civil proceedings in French courts over the corruption scandal that derailed his bid to become FIFA President in 2016. Once the favourite to replace Sepp Blatter, Platini was caught up in an ethics probe over a payment he received from Blatter in 2011.
Platini’s lawyer, Olivier Baretelli, confirmed the complaint, which alleges Infantino and others worked to exclude Platini from the presidential race. It also claimed that Infantino was “first and foremost” among those who allegedly attempted to block Platini’s candidacy.
Platini was banned from football by FIFA’s Ethics Committee in 2015 — an eight-year ban later reduced to four by the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Platini and Blatter faced criminal proceedings over the disputed payment but were acquitted by a Swiss federal criminal court in 2022 and again by an appeals court in 2025. Both men say the payment was a delayed transfer for Platini’s advisory work under Blatter.
Infantino, who once served as UEFA General Secretary under Platini, went on to win the FIFA presidency in 2016 after Platini’s ban cleared the path. Platini is now reportedly seeking financial damages from FIFA over his inability to contest that election. Two other former FIFA officials, Marco Villiger and Domenico Scala, are also mentioned in the complaint.
The timing is dramatic: the complaint arrives days before the World Cup opener between Mexico and South Africa, as Infantino prepares to face the media and all eyes turn to FIFA’s leadership and the scandal that reshaped world football politics.
