Former UEFA president Michel Platini has launched both civil and criminal legal action in France against football's governing body FIFA and its president, Gianni Infantino, over corruption allegations raised in 2015 that derailed his bid to lead the organization.
A criminal complaint filed in Paris accuses Infantino, former FIFA legal director Marco Villiger and former FIFA audit committee chairman Domenico Scala of malicious prosecution and influence peddling.
Platini has also filed a separate civil lawsuit against FIFA, seeking full financial compensation for what he claims were internal efforts aimed at preventing his election as FIFA president more than a decade ago.
The case stems from events in late 2015, when details emerged of a payment of 2 million Swiss francs ($2.51 million) made to Platini by FIFA. The payment was authorized in 2011 by then-FIFA President Sepp Blatter.
Subsequent ethics bans sidelined the former France captain and cleared the way for Infantino, then UEFA general secretary under Platini, to win the FIFA presidency in early 2016.
Platini's legal action in France follows his and Blatter's acquittal by a Swiss federal criminal appeals court on March 25, 2025. The ruling cleared them of fraud and forgery charges, and the acquittal became final in September of that year.
The 70-year-old Platini said after the acquittal that he believed the case had been intended to prevent him from becoming FIFA president, adding that he was now too old to return to football.
Under the complaint, French investigators have been asked to examine the conduct of FIFA officials and 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.
FIFA was not immediately available for comment.
