NYON, Switzerland— All 54 European soccer nations on Thursday backed UEFA President Michel Platini’s fight to clear his name and overturn FIFA’s suspension.
The support, which was announced through a UEFA statement, did not follow a vote in the meeting of UEFA members at its headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland and offered no view on the case itself.
Platini and FIFA President Sepp Blatter were suspended for 90 days last week by the FIFA ethics committee following an investigation into a payment from soccer’s world governing body.
While Blatter has been replaced at FIFA by acting president Issa Hayatou, Platini retains the UEFA presidency and salary despite officially being banned.
“Currently the president of UEFA is only suspended by FIFA,” UEFA general secretary Gianni Infantino said. “For the time being he does receive his salary as he does continue being UEFA president.”
Platini also still hopes to stand in the Feb. 26 FIFA presidential election, even though it seems hard for him to be declared eligible once the candidate integrity checks are conducted after Oct. 26.
“Why should Mr. Platini withdraw his candidacy if he is convinced he has done nothing wrong and he can clear his name?” Infantino said. “Let’s give him the chance to defend himself, to clear his name.”
But UEFA members of FIFA’s executive committee will use the meeting in Zurich next week to discuss options for a potential alternative European candidate to Platini.
The ethics case centers on 2 million Swiss francs (about $2 million) Platini received from FIFA in 2011. He says the money was unpaid additional salary from his job as Blatter’s adviser between 1998 and 2002.
Before Thursday’s meeting, several European associations said they wanted more details on why Platini waited nine years to collect the money, which was not covered by a written contract. It was unclear if they received the answers they wanted.
