Overview
- In comments reported January 16, Michel Platini called for stronger European resistance to FIFA and a more forceful defense of football’s values.
- He urged UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin to be more present inside FIFA to stop Gianni Infantino from making what he termed further stupid decisions.
- Platini said Infantino has grown increasingly autocratic since the pandemic and argued there is now less democracy than under Sepp Blatter.
- He portrayed Infantino as an effective deputy but not a good leader, saying he tends to favor the rich and powerful.
- He also advocated for more former players in football governance, noting costly, relentless campaigning as a barrier, and recalled that his and Blatter’s fraud acquittals became final in August 2025 after FIFA bans, developments widely seen as benefiting Infantino.