France football legend Michel Platini has launched new civil and criminal legal proceedings against FIFA and its current president, Gianni Infantino, in France. The filings, made in Paris on June 8, 2026, mark a significant escalation in the long-standing dispute between the former UEFA president and the global governing body.
These legal actions come after Platini's definitive acquittal by a Swiss federal criminal appeals court on March 25, 2025. That ruling, which became final in September 2025, cleared him of fraud and forgery charges related to a 2 million Swiss francs payment received from FIFA in 2011. Platini has consistently maintained that the original case against him was a deliberate and political maneuver designed to prevent him from becoming FIFA president a decade ago.
The criminal complaint filed in Paris specifically accuses Gianni Infantino, former FIFA legal director Marco Villiger, and former audit committee chairman Domenico Scala of malicious prosecution and influence peddling. Platini alleges a conspiracy of false accusation and influence peddling, asserting that these actions were orchestrated to thwart his ambition to lead FIFA.
In parallel, a civil lawsuit has been filed against FIFA itself. This suit seeks full financial compensation for what Platini claims were internal maneuvers within the organization aimed at blocking his election as FIFA president. French investigators have been formally requested to examine the conduct of FIFA officials and to determine whether Swiss prosecutors improperly coordinated with the governing body during the original criminal investigation.
FIFA has previously denied any wrongdoing in its handling of the 2015 case that led to Platini's initial ban from football. The organization was not immediately available for comment regarding these fresh legal filings, according to reports.
Michel Platini, who was widely considered the frontrunner to succeed Sepp Blatter as FIFA president before the 2015 investigation, has been vocal in his criticism of Infantino's leadership. Following his acquittal, Platini stated that his honor had been restored, though he also noted that he is now too old to return to football's administrative ranks.
Throughout the 2025/26 season, Platini has continued to voice strong opinions on the direction of FIFA under Infantino. In January 2026, he sharply criticized Infantino, claiming that under his leadership, FIFA has moved further away from core football values and become less democratic than during the era of Sepp Blatter. Platini, who was Infantino's superior at UEFA from 2009 to 2015, offered a pointed assessment of his former colleague.
"He was a good number two, but he did not become a good number one,"— Michel Platini.
Platini further elaborated on his views, stating, "He has one problem: he likes rich and powerful people, those who have money. That is his nature." He also suggested that Infantino has become "more of an autocrat" since the global pandemic. These sentiments were reiterated in March 2026 on RMC's 'After Foot' programme, where Platini again described Infantino as a "very good secretary general, a good number two, but not a good number one. I don't think he's good at politics. He's a good administrator, but he's not charismatic and I don't think he says good things."
These renewed legal challenges by Michel Platini are expected to bring increased scrutiny to FIFA and Gianni Infantino's leadership. The timing is particularly notable as the 2026 World CupCompetition·2026 World Cup, which Infantino is set to open, approaches, highlighting a continued battle over power and governance within international football.
Michel Platini arrives at a Swiss courthouse in Muttenz for an appeal verdict. Anadolu Agency/IMAGO
Anadolu Agency/IMAGOThis article was generated by AI (gemini-2.5-flash). Learn more.
