Former UEFA chief Michel Platini criticises FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s leadership style, accusing him of autocracy and favouring the rich and powerful.
LONDON: Former UEFA president Michel Platini has accused FIFA president Gianni Infantino of becoming “more of an autocrat” and being overly interested in the rich and powerful.
In an interview with The Guardian, Platini said his former deputy was a good number two but is not a good number one. “He worked very well at UEFA but he has one problem: he likes the rich and powerful people, the ones with money,” Platini said.
“He was like that as a number two, but back then he was not the boss.”
Platini, who led European football’s governing body from 2007 to 2015, claimed Infantino’s leadership style has become more autocratic since the pandemic. Infantino served as Platini’s deputy at UEFA from 2009 to 2015.
The former France football star also contrasted Infantino’s tenure with that of his scandal-hit predecessor, Sepp Blatter. “There is less democracy than in Blatter’s time,” Platini told the newspaper.
“You can say what you want about Blatter, but his main problem is that he wanted to continue at FIFA for life. He was a good person for football.”
Platini has been a long-time critic of Infantino, alleging the FIFA president thwarted his own bid for the top job. He claims Infantino tipped off Swiss prosecutors about an undocumented payment of two million Swiss francs from Blatter to Platini.
Infantino has cultivated close ties with powerful figures, including US President Donald Trump. He awarded Trump a special FIFA peace prize at the draw for the 2026 World Cup in December.
Platini expressed concern about the current administration of football’s global bodies. “The administrators in football now, they are just doing their job,” he said.
“You find many who wouldn’t care whether it’s football or basketball. It’s not always a case of loving football if you work at UEFA or FIFA.”
