Dream weaver Platini spins his way into trouble

By Mike Collett LONDON (Reuters) - As one of the greatest footballers in the history of the game Michel Platini was a dream weaver who created magic with the ball at his feet. When he swapped his blue France shirt for a business suit, that aura helped smooth his ascendancy towards the summit of world soccer, making him heir-apparent to succeed Sepp Blatter as head of governing body FIFA. But shortly after submitting his candidacy for next February's election, Platini was suspended from the sport for 90 days on Thursday, along with Blatter, as both fell victim to a widening corruption scandal. Both deny wrongdoing. FIFA's Ethics Committee did not detail specific allegations against either man. But Swiss authorities said last month they had launched a criminal investigation into Blatter, partly involving a "disloyal payment" of 2 million Swiss francs ($2.07 million) to Platini, at FIFA's expense, in 2011. Platini, 60, strenuously protests his innocence and says the payment was for services under a contract with FIFA. But his future in the game is now almost entirely out of his hands. With his fate uncertain, opinion remains sharply divided over his merits and achievements since replacing the ageing Lennart Johansson as the president of European soccer's governing body UEFA in 2007. In the public arena -- presiding over a UEFA Congress, or in dealings with the select group of journalists who follow him closely -- he exudes charm: self-deprecating, at ease with the media, and comfortable speaking five languages. He enjoys mixing with celebrities, UEFA staff and reporters for brunch or late-night drinks at the Beach Plaza Hotel in Monte Carlo every August, where he speaks at length about his passion and love for the game. But Platini has also shown a harder streak, emerging over the years as the greatest rival to Blatter, the man who once described their relationship as "like father and son". He sees himself as a reformer: changing the traditional day of the Champions League final from Wednesday to Saturday so that families and children can attend in greater numbers; bringing in Financial Fair Play (FFP) Rules to stabilise European clubs' finances; expanding the European Championship from 16 to 24 finalists so more teams can take part. Yet he has done little to curb the excessive money awarded to Champions League clubs which now distorts so many domestic leagues around Europe. FFP has brought down the overall debt clubs owe each other but has had no significant impact on establishing a more level playing field between rich and poor. He was slow to reward the winner of UEFA's secondary competition, the Europa League, with a place in the Champions League, and to increase the prize pot. As a result, the competition has long been seen as a poor relation to the Champions League, rather than one worth winning in its own right. And while FIFA, after years of resistance, finally adopted goal-line technology, Platini steadfastly resisted it, instead bringing in extra officials to help referees -- an unpopular, ridiculed system that has little support among fans or players. Critics also scorn his claim that he is a footballer first, and politician second. If that was the case, they ask, why did he vote for an 2022 summer World Cup in the scorching heat of Qatar? And why did he later agree to the tournament being switched from June-July to November-December, slap in the middle of the European season which runs under UEFA's umbrella? Most intriguing of all is Platini's relationship with Blatter. "I have affection for Mr Blatter, and he always said he was like an uncle to me. But enough is enough," the Frenchman said in May, describing how he urged Blatter in vain to step down when the corruption scandal broke. "I'm saying this with sadness and tears in my eyes, but there have been too many scandals, FIFA doesn't deserve to be treated this way." When Blatter was placed under criminal investigation last month, a Swiss law enforcement source told Reuters that Platini had provided prosecutors with evidence against the FIFA boss. With Thursday's latest twist, their relationship shifted yet again: once mentor and protege, then allies, then foes -- now finally cast out together from the sport to which they have devoted their entire careers. (Reporting by Mike Collett; Editing by Mark Trevelyan)