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International Business Times
September 28, 2015
by
As Sepp Blatter’s long, dubious run at FIFA’s helm appears near its conclusion this week amid a Swiss criminal investigation, his former ally-turned-likely-successor, Michel Platini, hasn’t escaped the fallout. The allegations of financial impropriety could finally unseat Blatter before FIFA’s special presidential election next February, but experts are skeptical the latest allegations against Platini will be enough to end his bid to replace his former mentor.
The FIFA executive arm’s old guard is in utter disarray. Blatter, already scheduled to step down in February, Monday refused to leave office any sooner. His refusal came even as authorities investigated various allegations, including whether he willfully mishandled a FIFA media rights deal and the circumstances behind a $2 million payment to Platini in 2011. The FIFA Ethics Committee is conducting its own investigation into their actions. Critics are openly questioning how Blatter can remain in office when he is the target of a criminal investigation — and whether Platini is a fit candidate to replace him.
While Blatter and Platini have each denied any wrongdoing, the public fallout should, under normal circumstances, be enough to deliver a death blow to Platini’s bid to spearhead reform as FIFA’s next president. But with FIFA’s election still months away and the organization’s murky history of dealing with corruption at its highest levels, it will come as no surprise if Platini stays in the race.
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“Everyone else, from [banned former FIFA executive] Mohammad bin Hamman to Jerome Valcke, has been suspended upon allegations,” Roger Pielke Jr., an expert on FIFA’s corruption scandal and a professor at the University of Colorado, said. “Valcke hasn’t been found guilty of anything, but he was suspended. If they were to allow Blatter to remain and everyone else plays by different rules — number one, it’s typical FIFA. But on the other hand, it would be a surprise.”
What’s less clear is how the allegations will affect Platini. He is currently listed as a witness in the Swiss probe into Blatter, and it’s unclear if he’ll face a separate investigation.
As sitting president of the Union of European Football Associations and a member of FIFA’s executive committee, Platini is one of the international soccer community’s most powerful figures. Prior to last week’s allegations, he was considered the clear favorite to win the special election in February. By Sunday, oddsmakers had decided Platini would likely lose, Reuters reported.
With sponsor and public scrutiny at an all-time high, FIFA appears desperate to shed its reputation as a hopelessly corrupt organization and keep the money train rolling. If Platini’s name continues to be associated with criminal probes and shady exchanges of money, it’s unlikely he’ll escape the pre-election vetting process unscathed.
Then again, FIFA is the same organization that re-elected Blatter this year mere hours after several of its most powerful executives were simultaneously arrested.
“FIFA continuously tests the limits of our imagination,” Pielke said. Read more …
