FIFA Presidency: Gianni Infantino “does not like football”, tackles Sepp Blatter who recommends Michel Platini

Although today far from the world of football, Sepp Blatter still keeps an eye on what is happening there. President for 17 years of Fifa (1998-2015), the 87-year-old Swiss now has rocky relations with his successor Gianni Infantino, in office since February 2016 and who was re-elected for a second term last March. The agreement between the last two strong men of world football is therefore not in good shape, as Sepp Blatter explicitly made it clear in an exclusive interview granted in Europe 1 Sports (every evening from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. live on Europe 1).

Forced to resign in 2015 after financial and corruption scandals, the Helvetian would have liked to see someone else succeed him. And in particular Michel Platini, who had also been forced to resign from another post of football manager: that of president of Uefa. “If he wants to become president of Fifa, I think he has a chance. But he needs a little patience, we have to wait to liquidate the current situation”, that of the legal setbacks which pursue the former champion of Europe 1984.

Honorary president

Involved in the same affair, Blatter and Platini had been sentenced to eight years of suspension from all football-related activity. They had been accused of having “illegally obtained, at the expense of Fifa, a payment of 2 million Swiss francs”, or 1.8 million euros, in favor of the former French footballer. Acquitted in 2022, the Swiss prosecution decided to appeal. But that hasn’t stopped the former Fifa president from inviting his French counterpart to stand in the next world football body elections in 2027.

“I don’t see any other candidates who could currently run for the job. Perhaps the current president of the International Athletics Federation Sebastian Coe who would have the stature to take over Fifa since he knows the sport,” said said the 87-year-old man in Europe 1 Sports before continuing: “But for football, a footballer should come back, someone who loves football because the one who is there now (Gianni Infantino) does not like football”, sending a spicy message to the current president. According to Sepp Blatter, since his election as head of Fifa in 2016, Gianni Infantino has never sought to contact him in one way or another.

But for that, it will take four years, at the next FIFA Congress. The former UEFA president would then be 71 years old. A somewhat interested invitation since Sepp Blatter thinks that “if Michel Platini takes the head of Fifa, (it is) certain that he will appoint him honorary president”. “He wouldn’t forget what we did together,” continued Sepp Blatter. Michel Platini therefore has four years to fulfill the wish of the former Swiss leader. Provided that the former tricolor international does not experience other legal setbacks with Swiss justice by then.