Yahoo Sports Former UEFA prez Michel Platini arrested over alleged Qatar World Cup corruption
Qatar was awarded the 2022 World Cup almost nine years ago, but an investigation into the controversial vote are still ongoing — and it has resulted in an arrest.
The Associated Press is reporting that French soccer legend and former UEFA president Michel Platini was arrested on Tuesday as part of a corruption investigation into the vote that gave Qatar the 2022 World Cup. French financial prosecutors suspect private corruption, criminal association, and influence peddling. Platini was taken into custody after being called to the Anti-Corruption Office of the Judicial Police, and then questioned.
The vote that awarded Qatar the 2022 World Cup has been under scrutiny since it took place in 2010. Platini’s involvement centers on his supposed promise to vote for the United States, which former FIFA president Sepp Blatter called a “gentleman’s agreement” that Platini backed out of. It’s the backing out of that agreement — or the why and how — that seems to be the focus. From the Associated Press:
Platini told the AP in 2015 that he “might have told” American officials that he would vote for the United States bid. However, he changed his mind after a November 2010 meeting, hosted by then-President Nicolas Sarkozy at his official residence in Paris and Qatar’s crown prince, now Emir, Tamin bin Hamad al-Thani.
Platini voted for Qatar less than two weeks later, and his vote was instrumental in Qatar’s victory, but said that the meeting did nothing to influence his vote. He told the Associated Press in 2015 that, “Sarkozy never asked me to vote for Qatar, but I knew what would be good.”
However, Blatter claimed to the Financial Times that Platini told him that the meeting did influence him. According to Blatter, Sarkozy told Platini to “consider the situation of France,” and because of that, Platini’s vote was “no longer in [Blatter’s] picture”
Both Blatter and Platini are currently serving bans from participating in soccer activities after being found guilty of corruption and ethics violations in 2015.
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