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Platini pulls out of Fifa election

Suspended European football chief Michel Platini gave up on his dream of becoming Fifa president. He said on Thursday night he pulled out of the Fifa race.

Michel Platini during the draw ceremony for the 2014-2015 Champions League competition, Monaco, August 2014.
Michel Platini during the draw ceremony for the 2014-2015 Champions League competition, Monaco, August 2014. Reuters/Eric Gaillard/Files
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“I will not present myself for the presidency of Fifa. I am withdrawing my candidature,” Platini told French sports newspaper L’Equipe published on Friday.

“I no longer have the time nor the means to go to the voters, to meet people, to fight against the other candidates. (…) I am dedicating myself to my defence,” said Platini.

He was banned for eight years from all football activity by Fifa last month over a 1.8 million euro payment made to him in 2011.

Since the ban Platini has claimed that nothing was illegal in the payment and his oral contract with outgoing Fifa president Sepp Blatter.

“I’m struggling to understand. Why? (…) I did some work, I asked to be paid, I sent an invoice, I was paid, I paid my taxes on that. That was in 2011,” he said.

Then in 2015, the Fifa court in Zurich wanted more information about the cash transfer and found both Platini and Blatter guilty of abusing their positions.

Platini repeated his suspicions that the timing of the ban was a deliberate attempt to prevent him from running in Fifa’s February election.

“What was the Fifa ethics committee doing between 2011 when I was paid and in 2015?” said Platini.

“It wakes up in a Fifa election year when I’m a candidate. It’s amazing!” he added.

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